Cloud Connected
by Chloe M. Kennedy
Summary: Alternate Universe. My take on the events that occurred at the end of the first arc of Naruto. Began in 2008 before the events of Shippudden. Kakashi/Sakura, Sasuke/Naruto, and various other pairings. Rated M for safety reasons (even though the rating may be too high).
1. Prologue

A/N: Characters do not belong to me. If they did, Shippudden would have ended differently.

* * *

**Prologue**

A young shinobi huffed and puffed as he continued to run through the treetops, occasionally looking back behind him to see his chasers' whereabouts. Running in front of him was his friend, a blonde headed, older shinobi.

"Konohamaru!" the older shinobi yelled behind to his younger partner, "Are they still behind us?"

"Yeah, Naruto!" shouted Konohamaru, looking back at the two cloaked mean chasing them. One of them had a large sword on his back. Naruto jumped onto another treetop, followed by Konohamaru.

"We need to split up, Konohamaru, and soon! When I say go, I need you to head to the right. Hopefully, only one of them will tag you."

"What about you, Naruto?" asked Konohamaru.

The two Leaf shinobi continued to make their way through the trees.

"I'll take the left route, Konohamaru. Don't worry about me though," replied Naruto, "I have something that they don't know about."

Before Konohamaru could ask what his friend meant, Naruto shouted.

"GO!"

The blonde teen dodged to the left, and Konohamaru dodged right. Sure enough, the two cloaked men split up, with the one with the sword now chased Konohamaru.

_Shit_, thought the young genin,_ I didn't want this to happen. I sure hope you know what you are doing, Boss._

Konohamaru continued to jump from tree to tree, with his chaser hot on his trail.

_Huff…puff…huff…puff…_

_He's getting too damn close_, thought Konohamaru, _this isn't good_.

Konohamaru jumped to another tree, only to run into something very large, and very hard. This caused the young shinobi to fall out of the tree and hit the ground below extremely hard. When he hit the forest floor, Konohamaru swore he heard the bones in his right arm snap. The young genin slowly rose to his feet, clutching his arm gingerly, clearly in pain from the fall. He watched as two men, both clothed in black cloaks adorned with red clouds gracefully landed to the ground in front of him.

"Where is he?" the smaller of the two men spoke. Konohamaru noticed that the young, dark haired man wore a Leaf protector, with a lengthy scratch upon it.

_Where did he come from_, thought Konohamaru.

The taller of the two, the man originally chasing after the genin, unsheathed an extremely large sword, pointing it directly at Konohamaru.

Without looking at his partner, the dark headed man spoke again, in a rather unbefitting calm manner.

"Kisame, put it away."

The taller man, who Konohamaru noticed had blue tinted skin, sighed and sheathed his sword. Konohamaru's eyes met with the other man's own.

"Where is the Jinchuuriki?"

"Jinchuuriki?" asked the Leaf genin, "I don't know what in the hell you are talking about!"

The shorter man walked over to Konohamaru. Mere moments later, Konohamaru felt a sharp piercing blow to the stomach. He looked down to find a sword ran through his body.

Konohamaru weakly fell to his knees, still looking the man before him in the eyes. Something about him changed at that moment.

"Where is he?" the man calmly asked again. His eyes slowly turned a bloody red, causing Konohamaru to cringe.

"Where is Uzumaki Naruto?"

"I don't fucking know!" screamed Konohamaru, "I don't fucking know where Naruto went off too!"

"Very well then."

The man then smirked slightly and turned the sword in Konohamaru's midsection 180 degrees, causing the young genin to scream in pain.

I'm too young to die, thought Konohamaru. Suddenly, it came to Konohamaru.

_Those eyes…that means only one thing…_

_No, it can't be…_

_The Sharingan_, thought Konohamaru,_ he was here, under our noses the whole time…_

As suddenly as it happened, the cloaked man jerked his sword out of Konohamaru's body, causing the genin to fall forward. He clutched the wound in his stomach with his uninjured arm, his broken one hanging limply at his side.

"You're no use to me anymore, boy," whispered the man into Konohamaru's ear. The genin looked out of the corner of his eye as the man walked back toward his partner.

"He's all yours, Kisame," the man calmly spoke to his partner, "Dispose of him as you see fit."

Konohamaru felt himself grow weaker by the minute as the taller, blue skinned man made his way toward him.

The Leaf genin let out one final scream as the other man unsheathed his sword once more and aimed it toward him.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Characters do not belong to me. I'm kinda sad about that...

* * *

**Chapter One**

_I've come to realize_

_That every little glimpse, you fade_

_I was told that I could fly_

_Oh, when least expected, cloud connected…_

_In Flames "Cloud Connected"_

* * *

_Five years later…_

Kakashi Hatake took one more step forward, officially entering Konoha. Not too far behind the silver haired man was his fellow jounin and ANBU partner, Nara Shikamaru.

It had been nearly two years since Kakashi had last set foot in his home village.

"Finally!" exclaimed Shikamaru joyfully, running to catch up with the older shinobi, "We're home!"

"How very becoming of you, Shikamaru," replied the older man, "It's not like you to be all hyper like this."

"Being away from home as long as I was, Kakashi- senpai, anything is possible," replied Shikamaru, "Besides, aren't you excited to be home?"

"Shikamaru, you were only gone for two months, and that was because Neji had to return. Two months is nothing compared to what the rest of us have been through."

The young shadow user glared at Kakashi as if ready to kill him at any moment.

"It was very troublesome, Kakashi- senpai," sighed Shikamaru, "Of everyone that the old hag could have sent, why did it have to be me? She is nothing but a troublesome woman."

Kakashi smiled under his signature mask. The real Shikamaru was slowly returning to the surface.

"And to answer your previous question, yes. It is nice to be home for a change of pace."

The silver- headed jounin swore he heard Shikamaru mutter 'troublesome old man' under his breath.

Today marked the end of another unfruitful search for two of Konoha's top missing- nin, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. Although the various teams sent returned empty handed, it was a joyous day. All around the village entrance, ANBU members and jounin- ranked shinobi were being greeted by their friends and loved ones.

That was…everyone except Kakashi…

Kakashi and Shikamaru made their way through the happy and joyful crowds toward the village square. It was there that they were greeted by the ecstatic cries of Shikamaru's young wife, Ino Yamanaka Nara.

"Shikamaru!" the long haired blonde woman screamed, causing the little dark headed toddler in her arms to stare up at her lazily.

So much like his father, thought the thirty something year old man, right down to his lazy persona.

Ino hurriedly handed the toddler off to a young, pink headed woman standing next to her and ran straight toward Shikamaru, enveloping him in a hug.

"Troublesome woman," muttered Shikamaru in a breathless voice as his wife continued to squeeze him tightly.

"I've missed you so much, Shika- kun!"

Kakashi looked at Shikamaru, a slight hint of amusement in his uncovered eye.

"Do not dare say a word about this, Kakashi- senpai!" growled the shadow user. Kakashi patted the young man on top of his head.

"My lips are sealed…Shika- kun."

Kakashi could feel the daggers coming from Shikamaru's eyes as he walked past the young married couple and toward the pink headed woman that held the Naras' child.

"Kakashi- sensei," smiled the woman in a quiet tone.

"Please, just Kakashi will do, Sakura," replied the jounin, "We are of equal rank now and have been for quite a while."

"Sorry, habit," whispered Sakura, "How are you feeling, Kakashi- sen…Kakashi?"

Kakashi watched as Sakura adjusted the toddler in her arms. He looked like he was about ready to fall asleep in the medic's arms.

"Fine, I guess," answered Kakashi, "Thank you for asking."

"Don't worry about thanking me. It is my job as a medic to see if anyone needs anything."

Surely enough, the little boy in Sakura's arms yawn and laid his head on Sakura's shoulder, falling asleep almost immediately.

"Looks like little Shikamaru needs a nap," said Kakashi.

"His name is Asuma, not little Shikamaru," replied Sakura, lightly laying her head on top of Asuma's dark colored tuff of hair.

"If it turns out anymore like his father, he might just as well as change his name to Shikamaru Junior," continued Kakashi. Before Sakura could make a remark toward Kakashi, Ino returned, dragging Shikamaru by the fabric of his chuunin vest. The blonde woman carefully took her son into her free arm with Sakura's help.

"So, Kakashi- sensei," spoke the young woman, breaking the almost uneasy silence between Kakashi and Sakura, "What is the latest word from the front line?"

Kakashi shifted his sight from Sakura toward Ino and Shikamaru.

"Still no luck," replied the jounin, "With as many searches as we have performed in the past five years, I am beginning to think that we will never find them."

From the corner of his uncovered eye, Kakashi noticed that Sakura slightly lowered her head, looking down at the ground instead of at the others. She had an almost fallen look on her face now, much of a contrast to her usually cheery, upbeat self.

The older shinobi knew exactly how his former student felt. They were Team Seven once and out of their team, Kakashi and Sakura were the only ones that remained. Without much of another word, Sakura walked past Kakashi, her arm lightly brushing Kakashi's own arm. The jounin watched as the young woman made her way through the crowds and toward the direction of the Hokage Tower.

"What is wrong with Sakura?" asked Kakashi. He had a general idea, but thought it would be better to ask, just in case.

"She has been like that for a good while, Kakashi- sensei," replied Ino, letting go of her husband's vest.

"No one knows, not even Lady Tsunade. That is bad because the woman usually has most things figured out within 24 hours."

Kakashi continued to watch Sakura until she was out of sight.

"Any idea where she is heading off to?"

Ino just shrugged.

"It varies from day to day, I guess, and that is from what I have seen. Yesterday, I saw her sitting under a tree at the third training ground. She looked like she had been crying. When I got around to asking her what was wrong, she just got up and left, never bothering to say a word. Before that, it was nearly a week before I saw her at the hospital."

Sakura crying? In the silver- headed jounin's mind, it was not a good thing…

Kakashi began to walk away from the couple, pulling out his infamous book.

"Where in the living hell do you think you are going, Kakashi- senpai?" shouted Shikamaru.

Without as much as a reply, Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke. Shikamaru turned to his wife.

"That man is probably more troublesome than the Hokage."

Sakura looked across the third training ground, watching the sun begin to set. She began to tear up as she recalled her dream from the night before…

* * *

_Sakura was running down a long, dark corridor, the sound of footsteps following closely behind her. As she continued down the corridor, the footsteps became fainter and fainter. Before long, Sakura found herself in a large, dark, circular room. From the shadows, a person walked toward the center of the room, toward where Sakura stood. The person wore a hood, covering their face in shadow. _

_Naruto, thought the pink headed woman. The figure continued facing in Sakura's direction, standing with a death like stillness. _

_Suddenly, Sakura felt herself slammed back first into an adjacent wall, a blade closely held to her throat._

"_Be a good girl or I will have to dispose of you quickly," a male voice hissed into Sakura's ear._

"_Sasuke?" whispered Sakura. The voice was familiar…maybe too familiar…_

_Sakura then felt an intense pain course through her entire frame as she felt something sharp run through her abdomen. The medic lightly ran her hand across her stomach. A warm and sticky crimson covered her hand. The hooded figure remained in front of Sakura, kunai still at her throat._

"_Foolish girl," the voice hissed again. _

_Sakura saw a glint of red from under the hood. They clearly possessed the Sharingan. The kunai at Sakura's throat slowly began to sink into her skin, causing her to gasp in pain. The medic tightened and loosened her fist in a half hearted attempt to remain as conscious as possible. It did not help. Sakura closed her eyes as the kunai continued to dig deeper into her throat. Sakura tried to scream, but it was no use…_

* * *

"Sakura?"

Sakura abruptly woke up to someone lightly shaking her body. The kunoichi adjusted her eyesight just enough to notice her former sensei kneeled down in front of her.

"Sakura, are you alright?" asked Kakashi.

Sakura quickly tried her best to regain her composure and not to alarm Kakashi in any way. For some reason, Sakura suspected that the older man did not believe her. Kakashi's hand had remained on Sakura's shoulder. They had not been that close physically in almost two years. When Kakashi noticed this, he automatically removed his hand from Sakura's shoulder. Resuming what he believed was a normal façade, Kakashi sat across from Sakura and pulled out a book from one of the pockets of his vest.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not particularly, Kakashi- sensei," replied Sakura, refusing to look at Kakashi in the eye. When the jounin heard Sakura's answer, he opened up his book and began to read in silence. Moments later, Sakura broke the silence.

"If you plan on doing that, Kakashi- sensei, then I suggest you leave me to my thoughts."

"I am not your sensei, Sakura, and have not been for almost six years," replied Kakashi, not bothering to look up from his book. The jounin then shut his book , much to Sakura's surprise.

"I had planned to read my book until you had the urge to tell me what was wrong," continued Kakashi, "And please do not start with the 'there is nothing wrong' and things like that."

Kakashi placed the book back into his vest pocket.

"I know you a bit too well to know that something is wrong, despite what you would like me to think otherwise."

Sakura frantically got to her feet and glared down at Kakashi.

"You do not know me as well as you think, Kakashi!" screamed the pink headed woman, "Things have changed over the last two years!"

Kakashi rose to his feet and looked down at Sakura. What he would say next completely caught Sakura off guard.

"Is it me, Sakura?"

The medic looked to Kakashi, confused about her possible responses to his question. The jounin placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"Sakura, please tell me. Is this about me and what happened?"

A series of tears began to run down Sakura's face.

Kakashi remembered the promise that he had made to the young woman two years earlier. He had failed her by returned to Konoha empty handed. Kakashi remembered watching Sakura's face change from cheerful to sad and hopeless. But, for some reason, Kakashi believed that this time was different. He believed that this time around, Naruto nor Sasuke's return were involved.

Sakura had developed immensely over the course of the two years that Kakashi was gone. She had gone from an awkward 17 year old girl to an extremely beautiful young woman.

Sakura suddenly flung herself into Kakashi's arms and began to cry into his vest. Kakashi found himself wrapping his arms around the young woman's waist, resting his chin on top of her pink locks. He had made two promises to Sakura, and there was no way that he was going to break either of those promises.


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Not mine, so don't sue me. Besides, you won't get much out of it.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

_Is it me?_

Those three little words continued to resonate in Sakura's head as shifted to her back to stare at her bedroom ceiling.

_Why does he think it is his fault?_

_I am so young_, thought the kunoichi,_ if it is anyone's fault it would have been mine for being so naïve to think it would have worked out in the long run._

_If this is all my fault, then why do I still care about him?_

"He is the only one I have left," Sakura whispered to herself, "That is why I still care about Kakashi."

Sakura lost Sasuke to Orochimaru first. She lost Naruto not too long after that. The kunoichi did not know how much longer Kakashi would remain in her life, but she knew that she was extremely fortunate that she still had him.

* * *

Kakashi watched the sunrise the next morning from the rooftop of his apartment building. He mused about the evening before and the promises that he made to Sakura two years before. Needless to say, Kakashi failed to being either Naruto or Sasuke home.

Kakashi knew that it had hurt Sakura quite a bit, but for some reason, the jounin felt like that was not the only thing that bothered her. Kakashi jumped from the rooftop to the street below and began to make his way toward the Hokage Tower, hands in his pockets.

_Was Sakura still holding a grudge about what happened between them two years ago?_

Kakashi remembered telling Sakura that it was not going to work out. They both knew that. Kakashi was an elite shinobi, doomed to die at any given moment.

The silver- headed jounin scratched his head.

He did it to protect her. She had already lost two people that she cared about. He did not need to lose someone else. Kakashi did not want to cause Sakura another heartache.

Kakashi continued to walk down the street, head held low. He bumped into something. Kakashi heard a small squeak and a thud. He found out that he had bumped into none other than Sakura, who was now on the ground, rubbing her neck.

Kakashi extended his hand out for Sakura to help her up. Much to his surprise, the medic accepted it.

"I am deeply sorry, Sakura," spoke the jounin, "I should have paid more attention to where I was going."

Once Sakura got to her feet, she continued to hold on to Kakashi's hand. There, they stood in the middle of the street…just as if two years had never passed.

Then, Sakura jerked her hand away from Kakashi.

_Stupid_, thought Kakashi, _why did you let her do that._

_Wait…do I still care about her? I guess I do…_

Kakashi haphazardly stuffed his into his pockets again and looked down at the ground.

Just like old times…if only he had not left two years ago. Then maybe they would have still been together, maybe even married and a small family.

Two weeks just was not long enough for either of them…

"Good morning, Kakashi- sensei," said Sakura, "What brings you through here this morning?"

"Just on my way to see the Hokage and report to her about my mission," replied Kakashi, "You?"

"Um…," stumbled Sakura," I…uh…I have training still morning! Yeah, training with Lee!"

Kakashi looked at Sakura, knowing well that he had caught her in a big lie.

"Sakura, are the training grounds in the opposite direction?"

"Yes, but I am on my way to meet up with Lee at his apartment," replied Sakura.

"Sakura," said Kakashi, "I know first hand that Lee does not live in this part of the village. Also, what did I tell you about calling me sensei?"

Sakura let out a heavy sigh.

"So, what are you really doing around here, Sakura?"

The pink headed medic looked down at her feet. Kakashi was somewhat reminded of the woman as a genin.

"Well, Lady Tsunade gave me the day off and I was looking for someone to train with and I was just wondering if…"

"I would train with you?" interrupted Kakashi. Sakura nodded, her eyes meeting with Kakashi.

"That is, if you have the time, Kakashi- sensei."

"Sakura, what did I…"

"Sorry, Kakashi."

"I have to speak with the Hokage first, but other than that, I am free for the remainder of the day," replied Kakashi," Meet me at the third training ground in about an hour?"

"Thanks!" shouted Sakura in glee as she surprised Kakashi with a hug. Once she let go, she ran back in the direction she came from.

_That will hopefully give us a chance to talk things through_, thought the jounin as he continued on his way toward Hokage Tower.

_And maybe our future together too… _

* * *

Sakura sat on her favorite tree branch, awaiting for the arrival of her former sensei. About an hour and a half later, Sakura began to get rather annoyed.

"I guess there are some things that he will never change," said Sakura as she jumped off the branch.

"And why should I?"

Sakura quickly turned around and looked up. She found Kakashi sitting in the same exact spot that she sat just moments before.

"You are late!" shouted Sakura. Kakashi jumped down from the tree branch above and landed in front of Sakura.

"Sorry that I am late, Sakura, but I ran into Gai on the way here."

"That has to be one of the most…"

"Believable excuses that you have heard from me since I became your sensei?"

Sakura nodded.

"Yeah," replied Kakashi, scratching the back of his head, "Because it actually did happen. He hears that I have returned and the first thing he goes about doing is rant about how we are still tied. Does anyone ever give a proper greeting anymore?"

Sakura giggled lightly, making Kakashi smile underneath his mask.

"Enough about freaky men in green spandex suits. Let's get started with our training, shall we, Sakura?"

Kakashi pulled out two bells from his pockets and dangled them between himself and Sakura.

"Not again!" sighed Sakura, "We can't do this without Naruto or Sasuke!"

"Really?" remarked Kakashi, "I haven't noticed."

The silver headed jounin handed one bell to Sakura.

"That issue aside, we are doing things a bit differently this time around," continued Kakashi, "The rules are much more simple now. The objective is to grab the other person's bell without them grabbing your bell in the process."

Kakashi moved closer to Sakura, their bodies barely touching.

"In other words, I try to grab for your bell and you try to grab for mine. Any questions, Sakura?"

The kunoichi shook her head. When both shinobi tied their own bell to their person, Kakashi spoke again.

"Oh, and one other thing. Whoever gets a bell first gets a free meal, okay?"

"Okay."

"Very well, then. On the count of three. One…two…three…"

Both shinobi stood still, waiting for the other to make the first move. Sakura smirked slightly. She pulled a glove from her medic bag and put it on. With one swift move, she punched the ground below her. Kakashi quickly performed a disappearing jutsu, appearing moments later just a few yards to the kunoichi right.

_She's good_, thought the Sharingan wielding man, _she is another Tsunade_.

Sakura spun around and threw a series of kunai and shuriken at Kakashi. He reflected them with his own weaponry with relative ease. Kakashi did not want to activate his Sharingan just yet, at least until he knew what Sakura was exactly capable of.

"Don't be a chicken, Kakashi- sensei!" shouted Sakura, "Fight me like a real shinobi. I won't break that easily!"

Kakashi grinned mischievously from under his mask.

"Well, if you want it that way, Sakura!" replied Kakashi. The silver headed man lifted up his forehead protector to expose his Sharingan eye.

"Ready to give this your all, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded as she pulled a kunai from her medic pouch. Kakashi brought his hands up, ready to perform signs at a moment's notice. Without much as a second thought, Kakashi performed a series of hand signs, all in an order that Sakura was not familiar with.

A sudden burst of wind came directly at Sakura, knocking her down to the ground. The kunoichi immediately rose to her feet, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She then made a mad dash toward Kakashi, kunai gripped tightly in her hand. Sakura performed a series of single handed sign and disappeared, reappearing behind Kakashi. She landed gracefully to the ground, tossing the kunai aside, and slammed the ground once more with her gloved fist. The earth split toward Kakashi. Once the dust subsided, Sakura found a log where the jounin was.

"Dammit!" screamed Sakura, scrambling to her feet. She was suddenly jerked back. Mere moments later, the kunoichi felt a kunai to her throat.

"Ready to give up yet?" whispered Kakashi in a deadly tone.

"Not a chance," replied Sakura. It was at that moment she remembered her bell. Sakura stood still, her hand resting over the bell. Kakashi slightly lowered his kunai. It was then that Sakura performed a quick disappearing jutsu, reappearing behind Kakashi. The pink headed woman dropped to the ground and spun around with one leg out, knocking Kakashi to the ground. Suddenly, Sakura was hit from behind. She rolled over, landing back first on the ground. Kakashi appeared above her. He straddled her and pinned each of Sakura's wrists above her head.

"Shadow clone," Kakashi simply spoke as he removed his mask. Sakura noticed the smile that the jounin had plastered across his face.

Still as handsome as ever, thought Sakura. She smiled back at Kakashi.

"I am sorry, Sakura," whispered Kakashi as he leaned in toward Sakura. He rested his forehead on hers.

"I made a promise that I could not keep."

"No, you didn't," replied Sakura, "At least, not yet."

"I am sorry for the pain that I have caused you for the last couple of years. There was not a single day that went by that I did not find myself thinking of you," said Kakashi, "You were the very reason I was able to keep going during my mission."

Kakashi left go of Sakura's wrists, placing his hands on either side of her head. The kunoichi wrapped her arms around Kakashi's waist.

"Sakura, I thought about this all night last night and I am wondering if you are willing to take me back and give this another shot."

Kakashi made two promises to Sakura before leaving for his mission two years earlier. If he was not able to fulfill the first promise, the least that he could do was fulfill the other promise. He would rather die than live the rest of his life without Sakura.

"Yes, Kakashi," whispered Sakura, "Yes, I will."

Kakashi leaned in and stole the kiss that he so desperately craved the last two years. Once they parted, Kakashi tried to catch his breath. When he did, Kakashi smirked.

"I am sorry to break this to you, but I won," said Kakashi as he held up a bell. Sakura brought one of her hands to her waist and felt around. It was not there, but in Kakashi's hand.

"That was no fair, Kakashi!" exclaimed Sakura, hitting Kakashi in the arm. The jounin rolled off of Sakura and got to his feet. Sakura sat up and looked up at Kakashi.

"It should be considered a draw, old man," continued Sakura. Kakashi helped Sakura to her feet.

"You were too busy with 'other things'," said Kakashi, "Besides, I am not that old."

The jounin tossed the bell to Sakura and pulled up his mask. The kunoichi looked at the bell. She tossed it back to Kakashi.

"When did you get it?"

"When we were kissing, of course."

Sakura walked past Kakashi in a huff.

"That was a cheap shot."

Sakura felt a hand grab her upper arm.

"It shows that a ninja should never let their guard down, regardless of the situation."

The jounin let go of Sakura's arm and took her hand.

"I have another meeting with Tsunade- sama," continued Kakashi as the pair made their way out of the training grounds, "I'm supposed to meet up with Shikamaru and Gai at the ramen shop."

"I'll come with you, Kakashi," said Sakura, "I have some things to discuss with the Hokage anyway."

"If those things include us, then she should just save her breath and accept it. Your parents did, so why can't she?" said Kakashi.

"I can understand what the deal was then, but now, there shouldn't be too much of a problem. I haven't been her student for over a year now," said Sakura, "Anyway, what do you need to talk to Tsunade- sama about?"

Kakashi wondered if it would have been best to tell Sakura the truth.

"Top secret information," answered Kakashi. The jounin noticed out of the corner of his eye that Sakura slightly lowered her head. Kakashi placed a hand under Sakura's chin and tipped her head slightly back, his non- Sharingan eye meeting with emerald.

"I promise that you will be the first to know about everything once it has been discussed with the Hokage."

Sakura gave Kakashi a weak smile.

"Okay," she meekly replied.

The medic- nin brought her hand up to Kakashi's face and pulled down his mask just enough for her to kiss him lightly on the lips.

"I'll hold you to that promise, Kakashi."


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: If I owned the characters, I would be rich. I'm not rich, so that means I don't own them.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Shikamaru stood outside of the ramen shop, smoking , when he was greeted by both Kakashi and Sakura. The young shadow user smirked slightly when he noticed the two ninja before him holding hands. Shikamaru took one final drag of his cigarette and tossed it aside.

"Yo!" said Kakashi, waving his free hand. When the pair finally reached Shikamaru, they let go of one another's hands. That allowed for Sakura to give Shikamaru a friendly hug.

"How's Ino and Asuma?" asked Sakura. Shikamaru pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his vest pocket. He pulled out one and a lighter out of the pack and after lighting it, Shikamaru replaced the pack into his vest pocket.

"Ino's being overbearing like usual, and Asuma is starting to act a lot like me, according to her."

Kakashi chuckled slightly.

"If he keeps it up, he will turn out to be a fine shinobi, just like his father and grandfather," said the silver headed jounin. Shikamaru held up his hand in protest.

"That is the last thing Mom and Ino want. Please change topics, Kakashi- senpai. Something like when did you and Sakura get back together."

"This morning," replied Sakura.

"Ino will be thrilled, as will Hinata," said Shikamaru.

"Hinata?" asked Kakashi. Shikamaru nodded.

"Neji's cousin. Remember her?"

"The quiet one or the loud one?"

"The quiet one, Senpai. She the heir to the Hyuuga clan according to Konoha records. It was her father that requested that Neji return to the village."

"How can I forget that?" asked Kakashi.

"What are you two ranting about?" asked Sakura.

"You mean that you forgot that Neji was sent on mission with Kakashi- senpai?" asked Shikamaru.

"Yeah, I guess I did. Why was he sent back?"

"The Hyuuga clan, namely the head, requested it. For what, I don't know. I don't get into the matters of other clans. But for him to return, someone had to take his place. In the end, it was me that delivered the message and replaced him. I suspect that the Hyuuga clan had another mission for him."

"If that was the case, then why not send Hinata instead of Neji. They are both of the same clan," said Kakashi.

"First and foremost, Senpai, Hinata is the next leader of the Hyuuga clan. It wouldn't do them much good if she was killed on mission," replied Shikamaru, "Secondly, Neji is considered the best in that clan. Sending anyone else is asking for almost automatic failure if you ask me. I also heard that Hinata is forbidden from any sort of mission unless Neji is around."

"How is Hinata doing by the way?" asked Kakashi, "The last time I checked, she was heartbroken because of Naruto's disappearance."

Sakura and Shikamaru stared at the jounin in surprise.

"How did you…?" began Sakura.

"Kurenai," replied Kakashi.

"Better," replied Sakura, "Tsunade- sama has her working at the hospital from time to time when she doesn't have clan business to attend to. Just last week, she told me and Ino that she was seeing someone. She didn't mention who though."

Kakashi returned his attention to Shikamaru, who had been apparently ranting to himself about Ino's mother. The trio began to walk toward Hokage Tower. Once they arrived at the tower, Kakashi placed a gentle kiss on Sakura's cheek, mask still in place.

"Wait up for me here, okay?"

Sakura nodded. When Shikamaru and Kakashi entered the building, the younger jounin spoke.

"The old hag ain't going to be too happy when she hears about you and Sakura."

"Possibly," replied Kakashi, stuffing his hands into his pants pockets, "She needs to take into account that Sakura is now 19 years old and is more than old enough to make her own decisions."

"This is the Hokage we are talking about, Senpai. You know, one of the legendary Sannin," said Shikamaru, "That woman has the ability to wipe out a small village with just her fist."

"So can Sakura, Shikamaru. I can handle it."

The silver headed shinobi pulled a particular orange covered book from what seemed like thin air and opened it.

"You are too troublesome," muttered Shikamaru.

The two shinobi were beginning to ascend the stairs leading to the upper floors of the tower when they heard a rather distinct yell.

"Kakashi!"

Kakashi cringed slightly and Shikamaru sighed.

"How troublesome."

Both shinobi turned around to find none other than Maito Gai running to catch up with them. Kakashi grudgingly placed his book into his waist pouch.

"You are late again, Kakashi!" shouted Gai, "And you managed to corrupt young Shikamaru here with you excessive tardiness. How unyouthful!"

"I didn't corrupt anyone," replied Kakashi, "We met up at the ramen shop."

"Which was where you were supposed to meet up with us," said Shikamaru, "So, that only means that you are the one that is late, Gai- sensei."

"I was not late! I was training with Lee and forgot what time it was."

Shikamaru muttered just loud enough for Kakashi to hear.

"He was late regardless, Senpai."

Shikamaru then spoke aloud.

"Ready to go?"

Kakashi could hear a hint of annoyance in the young jounin's voice.

"Yes!" shouted Gai, "The fair Lady Tsunade awaits us!"

"So annoying, "muttered Shikamaru.

One by one, the three shinobi made their way up the staircase and toward the Hokage's office. The silence, which both Shikamaru and Kakashi enjoyed, was broken moments later by Gai.

"I noticed that pretty pink- haired girl standing outside when I came inside. Is she waiting for you, Kakashi?"

"Maybe," replied Kakashi simply.

Yes, but I wouldn't tell you, thought the jounin, I'm not ready to die just yet.

"She's actually waiting on me, Gai- sensei," said Shikamaru, "I am taking her to see Ino later."

Kakashi smiled slightly underneath his mask. Leave it to Shikamaru to stay on top of the situation.

Gai immediately fell silent after that. Once they arrived at the Hokage's office, Shikamaru knocked on the door. The three shinobi heard an angry scream.

"Come in!"

Shikamaru looked over at Kakashi.

"It's your fault if she says we're late," said the shadow user, "She's used to it with you."

One by one, the three jounin- level shinobi filed into the office.

"You're late," said Tsunade, not even bothering to look up from the massive collection of papers littered across her desk.

"Sorry, Hokage- sama," replied Kakashi, "I was stopped by a pretty girl on the way here."

Tsunade looked up at Kakashi, a murderous glare plastered across her face.

"I don't care if an orphanage is on fire, Kakashi," snapped Tsunade, "If you have an appointment with me, I expect you on time, not two hours later. Understood?"

Kakashi nodded, but the Hokage knew it was a hopeless situation.

"I have a meeting at the hospital in 30 minutes, so make this quick!"

"We might have a lead on Sasuke Uchiha," said Shikamaru, "Before Neji's unexpected return to the village, he spotted someone with Sasuke's chakra signature in the border country between ourselves and Suna. According to a source from Suna, their trackers have spotted him on several occasions. They also have been told by the Kazekage not to capture him."

"In other words, they are expecting us to capture him," said Tsunade.

"Konoha is the only village who knows of the full extent of the Sharingan. They don't know what they are up against, and I personally do not blame them," said Shikamaru, "Who is more qualified to retrieve Sasuke than us?"

"Will retrieving Uchiha bring us closer to finding Naruto?" asked the Hokage. Tsunade shifted her stare from Shikamaru to Kakashi.

"Yes, we believe that making an attempt to find Sasuke ourselves will bring us closer to finding Naruto," replied Kakashi, "Prior to leaving the village, Naruto had made a promise that he would return with Sasuke. Even though they considered each other rivals, Naruto also considered themselves best friends. I personally believe that was what Naruto was doing when he disappeared."

Tsunade closed her eyes and sighed.

"It was because of Naruto's search for the Uchiha that the Third Hokage's son is dead! We have lost several valuable shinobi in the search for Naruto himself!" yelled Tsunade, slamming her fist onto the top of her desk, "I am not risking any more lives, Kakashi!"

Kakashi made his way toward the Hokage.

"I know that we are close, Hokage- sama," whispered Kakashi, "Please allow one more search for the both of them."

Tsunade glared at the jounin.

"And why should I, Kakashi?"

"Like Naruto, I too made a promise," replied Kakashi, "I don't intend on breaking that promise, even if it gets me killed."

The Hokage continued to glare at Kakashi. She had a feeling she knew what he was talking about.

"This is about Sakura, isn't it, Kakashi?"

Kakashi nodded. The Hokage let out a small sigh of defeat. The grey- haired jounin knew that the Fifth Hokage hated seeing Sakura hurt more than anything in the world. In the last few years, Sakura had become the daughter that he never had.

"Shikamaru! Gai!" shouted Tsunade, "Report back here in two days' time at 9 o'clock sharp! Understood?"

Both Gai and Shikamaru nodded in response and left the office in haste. Tsunade turned her attentions back to Kakashi.

"I will allow one final search for both Naruto and the Uchiha, Kakashi," said the Hokage, "if only for Sakura's sake. Shikamaru, Gai, and yourself will each lead a four- man cell. Those cells will be decided by myself. Unless you have a preference on who you wish to work with, then you may leave."

Kakashi remained in his spot. Tsunade glared at him.

"Yes, Kakashi?"

"I do have one preference and that is for Sakura to be on my squad," said Kakashi, "Naruto and Sasuke were her teammates when they were a genin team led by me. It is only fair to her that she should be allowed to accompany me on the search."

Tsunade quickly rose to her feet.

"I cannot allow Sakura to be a part of this mission, Kakashi! She is one of my best medics since Shizune! I can't risk losing her if something goes wrong!"

"You will not lose her!"

The Hokage was slightly taken aback by Kakashi's statement.

"You will not lose her, Hokage- sama," continued Kakashi, in a lower tone of voice, "I will protect her with my very life. You of all people should know better. She can't remain cooped up in the village. She is a Leaf kunoichi."

Tsunade and Kakashi continued to stare at one another, neither speaking to the other. Finally, the Hokage sighed.

"Very well, then, Kakashi," said the Hokage, "You win. I will allow Sakura to go on the mission, but only under one condition."

"Name it."

"You must nominate one other shinobi to be a part of your squad, bringing your squad's number to five," said Tsunade, "Whoever you choose, their main objective will not be the search mission, but to make sure that if anything goes wrong, Sakura will be kept out of harm's way. So, unless you know someone right off, I need to know by sundown tomorrow who you have chosen."

"I nominate Iruka Umino for the position," said Kakashi, "It's been awhile since he's been on a real mission outside the village."


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: If I owned the characters, I wouldn't be working as a teacher. On second thought, I may still work because I hate being bored.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

"You did what?" yelled Iruka in a rather high pitched voice. Both Iruka and Kakashi were sitting in Iruka's classroom at the academy. The chuunin was grading some papers when Kakashi came in to visit and tell the chuunin about his meeting with the Hokage earlier that day.

"I nominated you for a mission, Iruka," replied Kakashi, never looking up once from his book, "You haven't had a real mission outside the village since you began teaching at the academy. It's about time you get to go on one."

"I have too had a mission or two since I started teaching!" exclaimed Iruka. Kakashi looked up from his infamous book.

"Is that what they are calling field trips these days?"

Kakashi thought that he saw the chuunin's face turn slightly red.

"Your 'missions' aside," continued Kakashi, "when was the last time you had a real C- ranked mission?"

"I can't exactly remember, Kakashi," replied Iruka, "Maybe sometime after I became a chuunin, I guess."

"See, there you go, Iruka! You haven't had a mission in what…15 years? Think it's time for one?"

"But what about my students?" asked Iruka.

"The Hokage is making arrangements as we speak. It'll probably be Anko or…"

"Anyone but Anko!" interrupted Iruka, "Please! Anyone but her!"

Kakashi stared at Iruka with his uncovered eyes, confusion obviously visible.

"What's wrong with Anko?" asked Kakashi.

"Do you remember who her sensei was, Kakashi?"

"Shit, I forgot," replied Kakashi, finally putting two and two together.

"She still has his curse seal. That could place the students as risk if something were to go wrong with it. Besides, if anyone should be going on this mission with you, it should be her, not me," said Iruka.

"Iruka, you are the only person I can trust with Sakura's life. You were her first sensei, not me."

The chuunin sighed heavily, setting a small stack of papers aside.

"I don't know, Kakashi," continued Iruka, "Like you said, it has been about 15 years since I have had an actual mission. I personally don't think I am up for it. I don't know much beyond the basics."

"Remember when we were children?"

Iruka nodded.

"Yeah, but…"

"Remember when we used to go to the training grounds every day and play?"

Iruka nodded again.

"Remember the day I graduated from the academy and I told you I couldn't play with you anymore because I was a genin and genin didn't play with kids. You know exactly what happened after that."

Iruka chuckled.

"Yeah, Kakashi, I remember," said Iruka, "Everytime I turned around, I would get you with an exploding tag or two. I had even gotten you with a few of my special time- delayed tags. The Third Hokage always said that I had a knack for mischief."

"And you still do," replied Kakashi, "You know, Naruto tried to do the same thing to me once, but he lacked your talent."

"But what does that have to do with this mission, Kakashi?"

"You were recognized as one of Konoha's top explosive experts while you were still a genin. After you became a chuunin, you were number one."

"I don't know about…"

"Iruka! You nearly leveled an entire building during your chuunin exams! You could as well be considered a domestic terrorist!"

Iruka grimaced at the thought.

"But moving on," Kakashi continued, "Your knowledge will help us out tremendously. I am only asking you to come for one reason and that is for Sakura's protection. No fighting involved. If worse comes to worse, you will need to flee immediately with Sakura."

"But how?"

"Your knowledge of explosives will made for a clean getaway," said Kakashi, "After Shikamaru, you are one of the best at assessing the situation and planning accordingly. If that means blowing stuff up, then so be it!"

Iruka sighed again and looked at Kakashi. Their eyes met briefly.

"Just tell me something, Kakashi, and one thing only. How much does Sakura mean to you?"

"Everything, Iruka."

Iruka smiled.

"Then, I'll go with you," replied the chuunin.

* * *

Kakashi woke up two mornings later to the smell of something cooking. He slowly opened his eyes and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of them as best as he could. After a few moments passed, Kakashi swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood up, pulling a pair of pants on before exiting his tiny bedroom. The jounin made his way through an equally tiny living room and was greeted by the sight of Sakura making breakfast in the kitchen. The grey- haired jounin leaned against the door frame and watched Sakura until the kunoichi turned around and spotted him, causing her to jump and nearly dropping the bowl she had in her hands.

"Kakashi! You're awake!" yelped Sakura. She placed the bowl on a nearby countertop and walked over to where Kakashi stood.

"Good morning, Kakashi- sensei," said Sakura, placing a kiss on Kakashi's cheek.

"Good morning, Sakura- chan," replied Kakashi, "and please, don't call me Sensei anymore. I haven't been your sensei for a while now."

"What's with 'Sakura- chan'?" asked Sakura, "The only ones that call me that are Naruto and Hinata."

Kakashi watched Sakura walk back toward the stove and resume cooking.

"Enough of that," said Kakashi, "Do you not find it ironic that the largest room in this place is the kitchen and not the living room?"

"The only thing I notice is that it is much better than that one room space that you called home when I was a genin."

Kakashi walked over to the table and sat down in his usual chair.

"It was two rooms, Sakura," Kakashi simply replied. Sakura looked at him.

"A curtain separating the shower and the toilet from the rest of the area does not count as a wall, Kakashi," said Sakura, "I can't remember the number of times I've had to ask you and the boys to turn your head when I had to use the toilet there."

Kakashi smirked at Sakura.

"It's probably around the number of times I had to hit Naruto for trying to take a peek."

"I am going to rip that pervert a new hole when he returns!"

Sakura placed a mug and a bowl in front of Kakashi.

"Tsunade- sama wants me to make sure you're on time for your appointment this morning, early if at all possible," said Sakura, "so start eating!"

Sakura took a seat across the table from Kakashi.

"Yes, Mom," replied Kakashi, playfully rolling his eyes at the pink- haired woman.

"Please, Kakashi. Don't start this crap with me. I am not in the mood to deal with it this morning."

Kakashi looked at Sakura, worried.

"I'm sorry," continued Sakura, "I'm just anxious."

"I can't expect anything less from you, Sakura," replied Kakashi, taking a bite of rice, "This meeting with the Hokage most likely involves sending me on another mission, having only been back a few days from my previous one. I can understand your concern."

"Do you know what is more upsetting than seeing you off on another mission, Kakashi?" asked Sakura, "Seeing you off on a mission without me, especially one that involves finding Naruto and Sasuke. I have been stuck in this village for too long!"

Kakashi watched the tears run down Sakura's face. Kakashi remember the same thing happening twice before. The first time was when Sasuke left. The second was when Naruto left. Neither of them had returned.

The jounin got up and walked around the table, kneeling down before Sakura. The kunoichi wrapped her arms around Kakashi's neck and cried into his shoulder.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Sakura and Kakashi ran into Shikamaru, who was standing outside the Tower, smoking.

"Shikamaru!" shouted Sakura, waving at the other shinobi. Shikamaru nodded in acknowledgement.

"Where's Gai?" asked Kakashi. The other jounin shrugged in response.

"Probably preaching the gospel of youth to whoever is willing to listen," replied Shikamaru, "I haven't seen him since the other day and I really don't want to either."

Kakashi was about to say something when the trio heard an unmistakable voice.

"Behold! The fountain of youth flows freely this day!"

Kakashi thought he heard Shikamaru mutter 'troublesome old fart'. Once Gai got to the others, he spoke again.

"I see that you are finally early, Kakashi!"

Following close behind Gai was his student, Rock Lee. Kakashi noticed immediately that Lee wasn't wearing the same Gai- inspired outfit from two years earlier. Instead, the chuunin wore green cropped pants and a green short- sleeved shirt with his chuunin vest over it. The only thing that remained the same was the orange legwarmers.

"I can't risk being placed in the bingo books by a post- menopausal woman capable of wiping out a small village with a single punch," replied Kakashi in his usual tone. Sakura couldn't help but laugh a little at Kakashi's comment.

"What time is it?" asked Shikamaru, flipping his finished cigarette aside. Lee fished a pocket watch from the pocket of his vest.

"It is 15 minutes until 9, Shikamaru!" replied Lee in his usual formal manner, "Neji and Hinata- sama should arrive in a few minutes."

"Neji and Hinata?" asked Sakura. Lee nodded in response.

"Tsunade- sama sent missives to several people yesterday afternoon. I was training with Neji and Tenten when our missives came. They mentioned something about meeting this morning with the Hokage for a mission detail," replied Lee, "Neji mentioned shortly afterwards that Hinata- sama and her former genin teammates also received missives."

"A mission detail? Any idea what?" asked Sakura. Lee shrugged.

"That I do not know, Sakura. I am sure Hokage- sama will discuss it with us at the meeting."

Sakura sighed heavily. Kakashi believed that Sakura was beginning to figure out what was going on. She was an intelligent kunoichi after all.

The five ninja entered the Tower and made their way toward the Hokage's office. They waited outside the door as the rest of their group, plus more, arrived. Sakura had expected Neji and Hinata, as well as Tenten, Shino, and Kiba. She was surprised when Chouji arrived, munching on his usual bag of chips.

Kakashi, on the other hand, knew that more people were going to show up, but he didn't know when though. Iruka wouldn't be able to arrive to the meeting until after classes either dismissed or he had found a replacement. Kakashi knew that there was one other person, but he didn't know who exactly that person was.

Shikamaru sighed again and knocked on the door, mumbling something about clouds and his son.

"Come in!" shouted the Hokage from the other side of the closed door. Two by two, everyone filed into the Hokage's office. Kakashi and Sakura entered last, keeping themselves as close to the door as possible. After Kakashi shut the door behind them, Sakura took hold of his arm, slightly surprising the older shinobi.

Iruka, thought the jounin, please don't hold out on me now.

The Hokage was about fifteen minutes into the meeting when the door quietly opened behind Kakashi and Sakura. Iruka, followed by Anko, entered the room.

"Sorry I'm late, Kakashi," whispered Iruka," I just got the missive fifteen minutes ago."

"What about your students?" asked the jounin.

"The chuunin who brought the missive to me is most likely watching them as we speak. I ran out as soon as I read it."

Kakashi could imagine the aforementioned chuunin having spitwads thrown at him by the future ninja of the Leaf. Kakashi looked over to Anko.

"And what are you doing here, Anko?"

"I was about ready to give a lecture to Iruka- sensei's students when the missive scroll arrived for him. I got mine earlier today," replied Anko, "I did manage to pop the guy with a spitwad for old time's sake. He was a major jerk towards me in the academy."

The three ninja heard a very distinct grunt coming from the front of the room.

"Is there anything that you three wish to discuss with the rest of us?" asked Tsunade.

"You look great, Lady Tsunade!" replied Anko, "What did you use in your hair this morning?"

"Anko!" shouted Tsunade.

"Sorry!"

Tsunade shook her head before she spoke again.

"Now that everyone is here," continued the Hokage, "it is time for me to go over the mission details."

"Mission details?" asked Neji. The Hokage nodded.

"As you all know, I usually place the details of any mission in the missive scrolls, so that when we meet, you know what is going on beforehand. However, I decided to not discuss the details this time around because I feel that this is a mission of a different caliber. It is best that I just discuss them face to face."

Tsunade slightly leaned back in her chair.

"As most of you know, the most recent search mission for Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha did not turn up much of anything," continued Tsunade, "Although they were not found, new information has turned up , coming from both our village's shinobi and the shinobi of Sunagakure. Both Uchiha and Naruto have been spotted at different periods of time."

Naruto was spotted, thought Kakashi, where?

To the jounin, that was excellent news.

"Thanks to this recent development, I am going to allow for one more search, starting two days from today," continued the Hokage, "Since there are a large number of you present at this meeting, it is safe to assume that you will be a member of one of three search teams. These teams will be led by one of three shinobi that was present during the last search."

Tsunade rose to her feet.

"I talked to those three at an earlier time. They are Shikamaru, Gai, and Kakashi."

Tsunade looked to Gai.

"Gai, I have assigned you Kiba, Tenten, and Chouji."

Tsunade looked to Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru, you have been assigned Hinata, Anko, and Shino."

Finally, the Hokage looked at Kakashi.

"And Kakashi, you have been assigned Lee, Neji, and Iruka. As for your students, Iruka, I assigned Kurenai to teach them until your return."

Iruka sighed in relief. Sakura lowered her head.

"Hokage- sama?"

Tsunade looked at Kakashi, her eyes narrowed.

"Yes, Kakashi?"

"I cannot go on any other missions without a medic on my team. Remember what happened the last time I overused my Sharingan?"

"Fine, Kakashi!" spat the Hokage, "Who else is tagging along on your team?"

Kakashi slowly removed his arm from Sakura's grasp and placed his hand on the kunoichi's shoulder.

"Sakura here is more than willing to volunteer for the position. She knows more about my Sharingan than anyone else, except maybe you, Hokage- sama," replied Kakashi, "Plus, I hear that she has an amazing talent."

Sakura looked at Kakashi, a surprised look on her face. The jounin leaned in and whispered into Sakura's ear.

"It took some time, but I finally convinced her to let you come along."


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: yadda, yadda...don't own...yadda, yadda...

* * *

**Chapter Five**

A dark- headed young man sat on a tree branch, string at the cloudless, star- filled sky above him. It had been nearly six years since he had last set foot in his homeland, leaving everything he had ever known to follow the legendary Snake Sannin, Orochimaru.

Six years had passed since he had last saw him…

From the distance, his teammates from Sound were around, patrolling the surrounding area and making sure his trip to the Sand was free of obstacles.

That was all they were good for, especially Karin. They never accompanied Sasuke to the Sand. He found it easier if he went there alone.

Everything was silent. Then, suddenly, Sasuke heard a rustle among the leaves.

"What was that?" Sasuke asked himself. The leaves rustled once more. Like a cat, Sasuke jumped off the branch and onto the soft earth below. He quietly withdrew his katana and knelt down against the tree's trunk. The leaves rustled for a third time, coming from Sasuke's right.

Where they coming after him after what Sasuke did to Orochimaru?

The Uchiha tightened the grip on the handle of his katana. He made his way carefully to the right, toward the source of the noise. Whoever it was, Sasuke was not going to allow them to live much longer…

Sasuke remained silent and still, awaiting to attack whoever it was. The leaves rustled again.

"Show your face!" shouted Sasuke. Suddenly, a shadowed figure ran out from behind the bushes and away from Sasuke. The Uchiha quickly rose to his feet and sheathed his katana. He began to chase after the hooded figure.

Who is this guy, thought Sasuke.

Sasuke tried to make out a face, but the figure's hood covered it in shadow. Slowly, the Uchiha began to catch up with the man.

Sasuke retrieved some shuriken from his waist pack and was ready to throw them when the man suddenly stopped. He performed a series of hand signs that Sasuke automatically recognized. Out of nowhere, a clone appeared next to the stranger.

Sasuke threw his shuriken. They hit their intended targets, both of which vanished into a puff of smoke.

"Two clones?" asked Sasuke, "Good, but not quite good enough!"

Sasuke performed a series of hand signs and moments later, a ball of electricity rested in Sasuke's left hand. The Uchiha activated his Sharingan.

"Come out wherever you are!" shouted Sasuke. The hooded figure appeared in the same location that the clones were. Sasuke ran toward the guy, Chidori in hand. The man then disappeared, causing Sasuke to hit a nearby tree.

"Shit!" cursed the dark- haired young man. Sasuke turned around, only to find the same figure standing in front of him.

There was no way to escape now…

Suddenly, a strong arm wrapped around Sasuke's neck, choking him. The Uchiha deactivated his Chidori.

"Are you really Sasuke Uchiha and not a shadow clone?" a voice hissed into Sasuke's ear. The Uchiha grimaced as the other man's grip around his neck tightened.

Sasuke was never the type to use a cloning jutsu often, especially one as draining as the shadow clone jutsu. The Sharingan required vast amounts of chakra. Sasuke did not need to drain his chakra on something so menial.

"Yes, I am the real Sasuke Uchiha," spat Sasuke, "Who is asking?"

Sasuke noticed that the other man's voice was strangely familiar. The figure in front of Sasuke disappeared in a flash of smoke. Sasuke felt a blade rest upon his throat.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked quietly. The Uchiha's arms fell limp at his sides.

"Never you mind me," replied the other man, "That is none of your concern at the moment."

Sasuke grabbed for his katana, only to have his wrist grabbed in return.

"You have not changed much, have you, Sasuke- teme?"

Sasuke froze. Only one person in his entire life ever called him teme.

No, it could not be, thought Sasuke, it could not be…him.

The hooded stranger let go of Sasuke. The Uchiha backed away and swiftly grabbed his katana. He held it out at the figure.

"Who in the fuck are you?" hissed Sasuke. The moonlight shone just brightly enough for the Uchiha to make out a smirk across the man's face. The hooded stranger brought his hands up to his hood and pulled it down. Sasuke lowered his katana as he stared in awe at the familiar blonde shinobi standing before him.

"It has been a while, has it not, teme?"

Sasuke slowly replaced his katana in its holster and took a step forward to examine Naruto. He noticed a large scar across Naruto's left cheek.

"What are you doing here, dobe?" spat Sasuke, his hand remaining on the hilt of his katana.

"I guess some people never change," whispered Naruto, "A shinobi never goes back on their word. I made a promise to Sakura- chan years ago that I would bring you back to the village and there is no way I am going to break my word."

Naruto took one step closer toward Sasuke.

"Where is Kakashi and Sakura?" asked Sasuke. Wherever Naruto was, surely Sakura and Kakashi were there as well. They were still a team, even without Sasuke.

Naruto would not travel alone, would he? Especially with 'that; inside him…

"Most likely back in the village," replied Naruto, "I have not been in Konoha for nearly five years."

Five years? What had Naruto been doing all this time?

"So instead of getting stronger, you have been chasing after me?" asked Sasuke, "Whatever happened to your dream of becoming Hokage?"

"Dammit, Sasuke! I made a promise and there is no way I am breaking it now!" snapped Naruto.

"But I cannot return to Konoha, Naruto!" shouted Sasuke, "I cannot return until I see Itachi's dead body in front of me!"

Silence fell between Naruto and Sasuke briefly.

"Very well, Sasuke," whispered Naruto, "Then I won't return to Konoha until you kill Itachi."

Sasuke glared at Naruto.

"How do you propose doing that, dobe? You have nowhere to go."

Naruto flashed one of his signature grins. The Uchiha knew it meant one thing.

"No fucking way!" yelled Sasuke, "No motherfucking way, Naruto! There is no way you are coming with me! This is my battle. I am not dragging anyone else into it."

"Come on, teme!" exclaimed Naruto, "You might have gotten better, but you can't take on the entire Akatsuki by yourself, can you?"

"I don't plan on fighting the Akatsuki, just Itachi, ururatonachi."

"Who happens to be a part of the Akatsuki, teme! No matter what you try to do, someone will try to stop you and that is guaranteed," said Naruto, "It doesn't matter how good you are if you can't fight your intended target. If you do manage to get lucky, you'll most likely be too weak by the time you reach him."

Sasuke looked at Naruto, speechless.

"Sasuke, I want to help you," continued Naruto, placing a hand on the Uchiha's shoulder.

"Please? Please let me help you. I can't bear the thought of losing you again, and possibly for good this time."

Sasuke lowered his head to avoid any other eye contact with Naruto. He had lied to the only person he ever slightly cared about. Itachi had not been at the top of Sasuke's list for a while. As of late, the Uchiha's primary target was Orochimaru.

Sasuke didn't want to drag anyone into his ongoing battle with either the Snake Sannin or his older brother, especially the man who Sasuke considered his one true friend.

"Is there anything that can make you think otherwise?" asked Sasuke. Naruto shook his head.

"Nothing, Sasuke," replied the blonde shinobi. Sasuke let out a quiet sigh and looked back at Naruto.

It was then that Sasuke made a new promise to himself. He had to protect Naruto with his very life.

* * *

Sasuke woke up the next morning, his neck stiff and right arm numb. The Uchiha lifted his head slightly to find that he had used his arm as a pillow. Sasuke turned his head to find Naruto curled up into a black and orange ball, lightly snoring.

_So peaceful_, thought Sasuke as he began to slowly sit up.

"Who's the blonde kid?" a familiar voice asked. Sasuke turned to find a pale young man standing a few meters away, sword stuck in the ground and leaning against a nearby tree. The man took a sip from his water bottle.

"That's none of your business, Suigetsu," replied Sasuke, getting to his feet.

"It's that one boy, is it?" smirked Suigetsu, "The one with the nine- tailed fox in him."

Suigetsu made his way toward Sasuke and a sleeping Naruto, stopping next to the Uchiha.

"Seems like the search for that brother of yours just got easier, didn't it?"

Too easy, thought Sasuke.

"Where's Juugo and Karin?" asked Sasuke.

"Juugo's taking watch," replied Suigetsu, "As for the redhead bitch, I don't really know nor care."

Sasuke bent over to retrieve his cloak.

"I need the three of you to return to Sound until I come back for you."

Suigetsu took a sip of water, lazily looking at Sasuke.

"And what should we say if they ask about you?"

"Say I'm dead," replied Sasuke, "That will distract them for a while."

"And what do you actually plan on doing, you and the kid?"

"I need to go to the Sand as soon as possible to get some information on the Akatsuki," replied Sasuke, putting on his cloak, "I'll most likely stay there for a while, now that Naruto's with me, and figure out my next course of action.

"The Akatsuki, according to what knowledge that I have gathered, are after the tailed beasts. The only ones that I know of having those beasts in them are Naruto and the Fifth Kazekage. I need to know what steps to take to ensure that Naruto remains unharmed."

Suigetsu listened to Sasuke between sips of water.

"Very well, Sasuke. We'll go back to Sound."

Suigetsu walked back toward his sword and picked it up.

"You know where we'll be if you really need us, especially me and Juugo," continued Suigetsu, walking away. Once Suigetsu was out of sight, Sasuke looked at Naruto, who remained sound asleep.

"Better wake him up," Sasuke spoke. The Uchiha gently kicked Naruto with his foot.

"Wake up, dobe," shouted Sasuke. The other shinobi moved around a little.

"Just five more minutes," muttered Naruto in a sleepy, childish voice.

Who could believe that Naruto Uzumaki was nearly 20 years old?

"No, dobe," replied Sasuke, "Up! Now!"

Naruto rolled onto his back, staring up at the lightening sky above.

"Naruto, we need to get going," said Sasuke, kneeling down next to the lying shinobi, "Now, preferably."

Naruto shifted his head to look up at Sasuke.

"Fine, teme," muttered Naruto, "Give me a moment."

Naruto continued to lay there, staring up at the sky.

"What in fucking Kami's name are you doing, dobe?" hissed Sasuke through his teeth.

"It takes time for some people to wake up, teme. I just happen to be one of those people."

Sasuke stood up and walking away from Naruto and leaned up against the nearest tree he could find, folding his arms across his chest.

"Well, hurry up then," continued Sasuke, "I want to get to the Sand before sundown."

The blonde shinobi sat up quickly and looked at Sasuke. The Uchiha could clearly see that Naruto was confused.

"The Sand Village?" asked Naruto. Sasuke nodded.

"Gaara and Kankuro have been keeping track of the Akatsuki's movements in the area for me," replied Sasuke, "I go there about once or twice a month to collect information from them."

"If you have been in the Sand Village on a regular basis, then why haven't you returned to Konoha?"

"That's enough, Naruto!" yelled Sasuke. The Uchiha stood straight up and walked over to Naruto. He kneeled down next to the blonde shinobi.

"I can't return to Konoha until Itachi is dead, Naruto," whispered Sasuke. Sasuke stood back up.

"Now, get up and let's go."

Naruto stretched and stood up.

"I'm getting ramen once we get there!"


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: Don't own...also, it's never lupus. Bonus Interwebz cookies if you got the reference!

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Sakura found Kakashi at the third training ground, sitting at the base of a tree, beloved book in hand. She hadn't seen him all day and was beginning to worry about him. Sakura was glad that Iruka knew exactly where Kakashi was.

"Kakashi?" asked Sakura just loud enough for the jounin to hear her. Kakashi looked up from his book.

"Oh, hi, Sakura!" replied Kakashi when he saw the pink haired medic- nin. The jounin closed his book and placed it in his vest pocket. He stood up and walked over to Sakura.

"What brings you here, Sakura?"

"I haven't seen you since the meeting this morning and was beginning to worry about you."

Sakura wrapped her arms around Kakashi's midsection.

"Are you alright?" asked Sakura. Kakashi placed his arms around Sakura.

"I'm wondering if I'm making the right decision bringing you along on this mission," replied Kakashi, resting his chin atop Sakura's pink locks.

"What makes you think you didn't?"

"Lady Tsunade said that the only way I could bring you along on this mission was if I chose a fifth member for my team," answered the jounin, "That is the reason why Iruka is coming on this mission. He is the only other person I trust with your life."

Sakura pursed her lips.

"The question should be 'are you alright?', Sakura."

"Yeah," replied Sakura, "I think you made a good decision, Kakashi. I couldn't have chosen a better person."

Kakashi and Sakura looked at each other. The jounin brought his hand up to his mask and pulled it down slightly to reveal a smile.

"I know how much seeing Naruto and Sasuke again means to you."

Sakura smiled back and placed a chaste kiss on Kakashi's lips.

"Thank you, Kakashi," the kunoichi quietly spoke.

* * *

It was nearly nightfall by the time Sasuke and Naruto arrived at the Sand Village. They were greeted at the village gate by a blonde kunoichi and a dark haired little girl.

"About time you showed up, Uchiha," the woman spoke, "I've been standing here on and off all evening."

The woman both looked and sounded familiar to Naruto.

"Sorry, Temari. I got a little sidetracked earlier today. You know how that is, right?"

Temari? And why did she have a baby with her?

At first, Sasuke walked toward Temari, leaving Naruto standing in his tracks.

"Not so much anymore, Uchiha," replied Temari, sitting the child in her arms down onto the ground. The little girl looked from Sasuke to Naruto, then hid behind Temari's skirt.

"So, who's your friend?" asked Temari, placing a hand on top of the little girl's head.

"I'm sure you remember Naruto Uzumaki, Temari," replied Sasuke. Temari glared at Naruto at first. Finally, she looked back at Sasuke.

"Yes, I do remember him very well, Uchiha," said Temari, "He is Konoha's most recent missing- nin."

_Missing- nin_, thought Sasuke,_ that's one thing that Naruto failed to tell me._

Sasuke peered over at the blonde shinobi. What else had Naruto failed to tell Sasuke?

"Gaara wishes to speak to you as soon as possible," said Temari, "Do you need me to escort you and Uzumaki to him?"

"That isn't necessary, Temari. I can handle it myself."

The child behind Temari yawned and rubbed her eyes. Sasuke walked past Temari.

"Come on, dobe, I have important business to discuss with the Kazekage."

Naruto replied with a simple nod and ran past Temari, following Sasuke into the village.

* * *

It had been bothering Naruto since he first saw her. That little girl looked awfully similar to someone he knew.

"Was that kid Temari's?" asked Naruto as he followed Sasuke down a quiet corridor. The Uchiha remained silent as they continued down the corridor. Once they stopped in front of a door at the end of the corridor, Sasuke spoke, opening the door before them.

"Go inside, then I'll tell you."

Naruto looked at Sasuke. He entered the tiny room. Sasuke followed Naruto inside and closed the door behind him.

"It's a rather touchy subject around here, especially with Kankuro," said Sasuke, "but yes, that was Temari's daughter, Saya."

"How old is she?"

"If I remember correctly, three years old."

Sasuke walked past Naruto toward a single- person bed.

"As for her father, rest assure. It's not me," continued Sasuke.

"If you're not the father, then who else could it be?" asked Naruto. Sasuke sat down on the bed.

"Like I said, it's a touchy subject around here. One I personally decided to stay out of," replied Sasuke, "I will say one thing about Saya's father though. He is a shinobi of the Leaf. Hopefully during the past few years, you have gotten smart enough to figure out things on your own, because that is all I'm going to tell you."

Naruto continued to stare at Sasuke, hoping that he would drop another hint about Saya's father. Naruto knew many dark headed shinobi from the Leaf. But, how many of those shinobi personally knew Temari? What if she had been raped instead? Who was the guy that the whole ordeal was touchy for her brothers?

"Do you know who Saya's father is?" asked Naruto. Sasuke nodded.

"Yes, and it is kind of obvious from the get go, dobe," replied Sasuke, "I had it figured out before I was told. Remember what I told you? I'm keeping myself out of their business. If you haven't figured it out by now, you will soon enough."

Sasuke got up and walked over to the other shinobi. He placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"I have to meet up with Gaara. I need you to stay here until I return. We don't need you to cause any trouble."

Naruto sighed.

"Fine," the blonde replied. Sasuke patted Naruto on the shoulder. After flashing Naruto a small smile, Sasuke left the room.

* * *

Shikamaru stood in front of the memorial stone, his hands poked into his pockets and a cigarette hanging from his mouth.

"I see someone else had the same idea as me."

Shikamaru looked behind him and found Kakashi a few feet from him, hands also stuffed in his pockets.

"Visiting Asuma- sensei, Kakashi- senpai?" asked Shikamaru.

"Him, among others," replied Kakashi. The silver headed jounin walked over to where Shikamaru stood and stood next to the younger shinobi.

"How's Kurenai these days?" asked Kakashi.

"Heartbroken," replied Shikamaru, taking one last drag, "She still has a way to go before she has the baby. She finds it unsettling that the baby won't have her father around."

"When she gets older, she'll understand that her father was a great shinobi," said Kakashi. The silver headed jounin patted Shikamaru on the shoulder.

"This child comes from a long line of noble shinobi. They will be nothing but proud of her."

* * *

Sasuke knocked on the door leading to the Kazekage's office.

"Come in!" a voice shouted from the other side of the closed door. Sasuke opened the door and was greeted by the Sand trio.

"Welcome back, Uchiha," said Gaara as he turned his head away from the window. Kankuro rose from a nearby chair and Temari, who was leaning up against an adjacent wall, stood up straight. Sasuke closed the door behind him and walked toward Gaara's desk.

"Kazekage- sama," replied Sasuke.

"It's alright to call me by my given name in private, Uchiha," said Gaara, "Being referred to as Kazekage makes me feel like I'm 50, not 19."

"Very well, Gaara. Any word about the Akatsuki's whereabouts?"

Gaara shook his head.

"As of early this evening, just prior to your arrival, there was no word from the trackers," replied Kankuro, "Temari sent out two teams early this morning, both returning with nothing."

"We also have several ANBU teams out on overnight patrols," continued Temari, "They usually explore the borderlands. All those teams found nothing the past two weeks."

"What of the Leaf?" asked Sasuke, "They are still your allies, right?"

"Lady Tsunade reported nothing as well," answered Gaara, "Unlike us, she has not been able to send out the number of shinobi needed to patrol the area. The majority of the Leaf's shinobi have been assigned on search missions concerning yourself and Uzumaki."

"The last thing I need is the Leaf to find me," said Sasuke, "It is bad enough that Naruto found me."

Gaara glared at Sasuke.

"Uzumaki found you?" asked Gaara, "Where?"

"Halfway between the border and here."

"Is he here in the Sand?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Shit!" hissed Gaara.

"What's wrong, Gaara?" asked Kankuro.

"Uzumaki's presence here can change everything, Kankuro," the Kazekage replied. The young Sand shinobi took a seat at his desk.

"This has to deal with the Kyuubi, does it not?" asked Sasuke. Gaara nodded.

"If the Akatsuki found out that Uzumaki is here in the Sand, we could be asking for trouble," said Gaara, "Just look at what happened in Cloud only months ago! Two Jinchuuriki in the same village is asking for a slaughter and we are not prepared to that in this village."

"A slaughter?" asked Sasuke. Gaara sighed heavily and nodded.

"The Akatsuki killed anyone standing between the two Jinchuuriki and themselves. They even killed the Raikage! I cannot allow that to happen to my people."

"What happened to the Jinchuuriki?" asked Sasuke. Gaara fell silent.

"They are dead," replied Gaara quietly, "They died upon the removal of the demon spirit within them.

"When a demon is sealed into its container, everything combines to become one. They are only separated upon the death of the host, whether by natural causes…"

"Or the demon is forced out of the container," finished Sasuke. Gaara nodded.

"My village has already vowed to protect me at all costs. We are ready for a slaughter if one does happen. If you wish for Uzumaki to remain alive, then you know what needs to be done."

Sasuke nodded in response.

_I'll protect Naruto with my very life…_

Temari caught up with Sasuke shortly after their meeting.

"Where's Uzumaki, Uchiha?" asked the blonde Sand kunoichi.

"He's currently in my quarters," replied Sasuke, "or at least, I believe he is still there. Who knows about his whereabouts."

"Was that a good idea?" asked Temari, "Last I remember, he was a bit…hyperactive."

"Still is, and I do not think leaving him there to his own devices was the best of ideas," replied Sasuke, "It is better than allowing him to expose himself at the current moment. He is a Jinchuuriki after all. If anyone with ties to the Akatsuki were to find out he was in Suna, he is finished."

"But the Akatsuki know about Gaara being a Jinchuuriki," Temari spoke.

"Gaara is different from Naruto, Temari- san! Gaara has an entire village following him and protecting him. Naruto does not have that protection because he is considered a missing- nin from Konoha!"

Sasuke, who was facing Temari, turned away from the blonde Sand nin.

"Gaara has suspected spies in the area for a good while now, has he not?" continued Sasuke, a slight pitch lower.

"Obviously," replied Temari, "Gaara has increased the number of shinobi that patrol the area. He has always been the paranoid type, just like our father and grandfather."

"Do you remember what Gaara said earlier?" Temari nodded.

"There are two Jinchuuriki in the village now. The Sand is only prepared to protect one of those Jinchuuriki, obviously Gaara. Placing Naruto under the protection of your village would be pushing your shinobi too far."

"Then, what do you propose on doing with Uzumaki?" asked Temari.

"I need to convince Naruto to return to Konoha," Sasuke replied, "I do not need the idiot to risk his life for my sake. Besides, the Hokage is one of the legendary Sannin. Naruto would be better off back in Konoha."

Sasuke quickly walked past the blonde kunoichi and on down the corridor.

"As for leaving Naruto alone, I will make it up to him later."


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: You know the routine by now...or at least you should. If I must repeat myself...

Characters do not belong to me. If they did, Kakashi and Sakura would have been married and Itachi would still be alive. It didn't happen, so yeah...

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Sasuke made his way toward his room. He noticed something odd just as he placed his hand on the door knob.

_It's quiet_, thought the Uchiha as he turned the knob,_ a little too quiet_.

Sasuke opened the door to find Naruto sound asleep on the bed. The Uchiha made his way over to the window and looked out at the clear night sky.

"About time you returned, teme," a groggy voice softly spoke, "I got bored and fell asleep."

Sasuke looked at the blonde shinobi.

"Well, sorry if meeting with Gaara was more important than staying here and entertaining you."

"Hold up! Gaara's the Kazekage? Since when?"

Naruto immediately sat up and jumped of the bed and ran toward Sasuke.

"The last four or five years," replied Sasuke, "Gives you something to live up to, don't it, dobe?"

"When I become Hokage, I'll be better than Gaara and the other Hokage combined!"

Silence fell between the Uchiha and Naruto. Sasuke looked out the window.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" asked Naruto, looking out the window as well.

"Yeah, it is," replied Sasuke. Naruto opened up the window and climbed out onto the roof, alarming Sasuke.

"What in the hell are you doing, dobe?" hissed Sasuke, poking his head out the window. Naruto looked back at the Uchiha and smiled.

"What do you think, teme?"

Naruto jumped onto the roof of the next building.

_You idiot_, thought Sasuke as he climbed out of the window and chased after Naruto. The two shinobi were halfway across Sunagakure when Sasuke managed to catch up to Naruto and tackle him on top of a roof.

"Got you, dobe!" Sasuke whispered into Naruto's ear. Sasuke noticed that he has straddled Naruto's midsection, pinning the blonde's wrists above his head. Sasuke got off of Naruto and sat down next to him. Naruto rolled over to his side.

"You were right," said Sasuke, "It is a beautiful night."

"Told you so."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto.

"How many years has it been since we last seen each other?"

"Five, maybe six years," replied Naruto, "I left Konoha sometime after you did."

"Why did you leave?" asked Sasuke.

"A couple of reasons, teme. Finding you was the primary reason. Everything else just fell into place because of that reason."

"I hardly believe that you had other reasons besides searching for me, dobe."

"It's the truth!" exclaimed Naruto, "I spent the last three years in a small village that used to be a part of the former Whirlpool Country."

"Whirlpool? Where and why?" asked Sasuke.

"It was a small area located between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning. It was split between the two nations probably about 20 or so years ago. I was in the area that currently belongs to the Land of Lightning."

Naruto sat up.

"As for why, Sasuke, I was trying to find living relatives."

Sasuke stared at Naruto.

"Living relatives?" asked Sasuke, "I thought you were an orphan?"

"I am. My mother came from Whirlpool. She apparently was an only child. She met my father right here in Suna during their Chuunin exams. They actually battled one another. I found that out while I was there."

"Is she dead?"

Naruto shrugged.

"I have no idea, but most likely, yes. She seemed to have just disappeared after my birth. She had been married to my father only a year before the incident with the Kyuubi. My father had just become the Hokage around the time they got married too."

Sasuke felt his jaw drop slightly.

"Your father was a Hokage?"

Naruto nodded, smiling.

"Yep, he was the Fourth Hokage!"

So, Naruto was the son of the legendary Fourth Hokage…

"What was your mother's name?"

"Kushina Uzumaki."

"What was her maiden name, dobe?"

"Uzumaki," replied Naruto, "Don't ask me why I was given my mother's name and not my father's name."

Naruto was given his mother's name, but not his father's name. Why would someone do that, unless there was a reason behind it.

"Anyway, I never found any relatives, but I did find someone while I was there," continued Naruto, "He was a former teammate of my mother's. His name is Toshi Minako. He told me everything that I wanted to know and even trained me some."

"Can you trust this man, Naruto?" asked Sasuke. Sasuke had never met the man, yet he had a bad feeling already about him.

"I could trust him with my life, Sasuke!"

Sasuke slightly flinched.

"Is something wrong, Sasuke?"

Sasuke stood up.

"No, dobe," replied Sasuke. He had his back turned toward the Jinchuuriki. Sasuke could hear the other shinobi slowly stand up and walk toward him. The Uchiha could feel his heart racing.

_What's going on with me_, thought Sasuke, his thoughts racing. Sasuke felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist.

"I know you mean well, Sasuke, but trust me," whispered Naruto into the Uchiha's ear, "I know what I'm doing here. I am going to be Hokage after all."

Sasuke tensed up slightly. He wasn't used to any type of close contact, especially from Naruto.

"What are you doing, dobe?" hissed Sasuke. He was reminded of Karin's wild antics, but unlike hers, Sasuke didn't mind it from Naruto.

"Something's bothering you. I can tell."

_Damn Naruto._

"What makes you think that?" asked Sasuke as he tried to loosen from the blonde shinobi's grip. Naruto tightened his grip even more.

"I just know, Sasuke."

_Yes, something is wrong,_ thought Sasuke,_ and he is behind me._

Naruto had been in Sasuke's dreams for the longest time.

_He cannot know…he cannot ever know…_

Sasuke rested his hands over top Naruto's.

"Yes, there is something bothering me," whispered Sasuke, "I just rather not discuss it right now. That is all."

"Just remember that I'll be around to listen when you feel like talking."

* * *

The next couple of days flew by quickly. Soon, the search for Sasuke and Naruto began. Kakashi and Sakura waited at the village gate for the rest of their team as well as the other teams. Within an hour, everyone was present, with Iruka and Anko running to meet them at the last moment. Kakashi noticed this and believed Skikamaru did as well.

_I will ask him about it later_, thought Kakashi.

"Okay, everyone," began Kakashi once everyone was present and accounted for, "Once we reach the border, we need to split up. Hokage- sama wants us to search three particular areas. These areas are Sound, Suna, and the former Whirlpool area of Kumo. Each group needs to choose a messenger to relay messages between the groups concerning our target objectives."

"Who's going where?" asked Kiba. Akamaru barked in agreement.

"My group is going to Suna," said Skikamaru, "I have already established connections there."

Kakashi knew the real reason why Shikamaru wanted to go to Suna.

"My group is making our way to Whirlpool," replied Kakashi, "It was already established in the first meeting we had with the Hokage."

"Then Sound is ours!" shouted Gai gleefully. Almost a bit too gleefully…

"Any other questions before we depart?" asked Kakashi. No one responded, with a few headshakes peppered in the mix.

"Let's go."

* * *

"Whirlpool?" asked Kakashi, "Why there of all places?"

"I have suspicions, Kakashi," replied Tsunade, "Those suspicions primarily concern Naruto's mother."

"If I remember correctly, Kushina was originally from there."

"Yes, she was," nodded Tsunade. Kakashi remembered Kushina Uzumaki rather well. She had been the woman who married the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, who also had been Kakashi's sensei.

Tsunade rose from her chair.

"Very, very few people know about Naruto's true family background. To them, he was an orphan that the Fourth used to seal the Kyuubi within. Those that knew that Naruto was Minato's son were sworn to total secrecy. I believe that you were one of the few that knew."

Kakashi nodded in reply

"Do you believe that Naruto is searching for Kushina?" asked Kakashi.

"Probably, but you and I both know too well that he will not get anywhere with it," answered Tsunade, "She died the night that the Kyuubi was unleashed and sealed into Naruto. She fled from the scene after the incident upon Minato's orders and her body was found the next morning. Jiraiya thinks that she may have been murdered."

"Murdered? By who?" asked Kakashi. The Fifth Hokage shuffled through the stack of papers on her desk. She sat down and withdrew a picture, handing it to Kakashi. In the picture was a dark- headed man dressed in a traditional Kumogakure jounin- level uniform.

"That man is most likely responsible," answered Tsunade, "Toshi Minako, Kushina's former teammate. He was associated with the Land of Lightning for a while."

"Was?" Kakashi asked.

"He is currently a missing- nin. He is in the bingo books of five major countries as an S- ranked criminal for the attempted assassination of the current Raikage. He may also be a member of the Akatsuki or working closely with them. Jiraiya last heard that is was in Whirlpool with a young blonde boy wearing a Leaf protector and a loud mouth."

"Naruto."

"I cannot think of any other blonde shinobi from this village that would have a loud mouth," continued Tsunade, "My opinion is that Naruto left once he got the information he wanted, but you can never be too sure with him. He is unpredictable after all.

"Jiraiya is currently in Kumo collecting information about the whereabouts of Minako and the Akatsuki. Meet up with him there after you have finished up Whirlpool."

"In other words, you want my team to make an extra stop in Kumo?"

"No, I want just you to go to Kumo. Your team can proceed to Suna after you are finished in Whirlpool. Shikamaru could use that additional help with the Kazekage."

"And Gai's team?"

"They will proceed to Sound. I want to see if the place is still abandoned. After they finish there, I will either have them return here or proceed to Suna, whichever situation is most dire," said Tsunade, "Any other questions?"

"No, Tsunade- sama."

"Then, you are dismissed."

Within another word, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.


	9. Chapter 8

A/N: I repeat...I don't own the characters. I just like to play with them. :-)

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

Sasuke woke up the next morning to the quiet snores of the blonde shinobi next to him. Sasuke blinked a couple of times before he noticed that his arm was draped across the other man's waist.

_I don't remember falling asleep like this_, thought Sasuke as he removed his arm. He felt a sudden grasp on his wrist.

"Just a bit longer, Sasuke," mumbled Naruto, "Please?"

"You're awake?"

"Now I am, teme," replied Naruto, "Just a few minutes longer. We don't have anywhere to go."

Naruto noticed that he had hold of Sasuke's wrist and quickly let go.

"Sorry," mumbled the blonde shinobi. Sasuke rolled out of the bed he had shared with Naruto the night before.

_What's wrong with me_, thought Naruto as he got off the bed. He walked across the room and proceeded to get clean clothes from his bag.

"Don't worry about it, dobe," replied Sasuke as he walked towards the bathroom.

"Things happen," continued the Uchiha as he shut the door behind him.

_Things happen alright_, thought Naruto, shuffling through his bag, _but not those kind of things._

"What are you doing today?" shouted Naruto, taking underwear out of his bag. The bathroom door opened. Sasuke stood in the doorway, wearing nothing but a towel. Naruto jumped slightly.

"What was that, dobe?" asked the Uchiha as he retrieved clothes from his own bag next to Naruto's.

"I said 'what you are you doing today?'", replied Naruto in as cool of a voice as possible. Sasuke sat down on the floor crosslegged and rummaged through his bag. Naruto noticed that the other shinobi's towwl was a tad on the short side, revealing a little more than should have been seen.

"I have to meet up with Gaara and Kankuro. We are going on patrol," replied Sasuke.

"I'll go with you!" exclaimed Naruto. Sasuke glared at the blonde shinobi.

"You are staying put for now, dobe," Sasuke said, "It is too dangerous out there for you."

"If this is about the Kyuubi, then what about Gaara?" asked Naruto, "He has that…thing…inside of him. Just like me!"

Sasuke pulled out an outfit that looked like the one that he wore during their chuunin exams and set it aside.

"Gaara is different, dobe," said Sasuke, "His sand is nearly impenetrable. He is protected by that sand from nearly everyone."

Naruto folded his arms across his chest in a huff.

"What am I going to do while you're out, teme?"

"You can watch Temari's daughter so she can help us out. You are good with kids."

Naruto remained quiet. Sasuke got to his hands and knees and crawled over to Naruto.

"And if you are a good boy, I will take you out for ramen. It may not be as good as Ichiraku's, but it should suffice."

"Is that a promise?" asked Naruto. Sasuke nodded.

"It is a promise, Naruto."

* * *

Two by two, the thirteen Konoha shinobi jumped from limb to limb, making their way toward the border. In the front were Neji and Hinata, followed by everyone else. Kakashi, Sakura, and Iruka were in the back.

"Why Whirlpool, Kakashi?" asked Iruka, "What is there anyway?"

Kakashi withdrew his bingo book and handed it over to the chuunin.

"There is a loose picture of our primary target in there," Kakashi answered, "That is our objective for Whirlpool."

Iruka examined the picture before handing the bingo book back to the silver haired jounin.

"What is his connection to Naruto and Sasuke?" asked Iruka.

"No connection as far as I know with Sasuke. As for Naruto, that man is a former teammate of Kushina Uzumaki. His name is Toshi Minako."

"Kushina Uzumaki?" asked Sakura, "Is she related to Naruto?"

"Was related to Naruto," replied Kakashi, "Kushina was Naruto's mother. She moved to Konoha when she married the Fourth Hokage."

Sakura's eyes widened in amazement.

"You mean that Naruto was…"

"Yes, Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. He was also my sensei. You may be the only one in your generation that knows, Sakura."

"Wow," said Sakura, "That's amazing, Kakashi!"

"Kakashi!" exclaimed Iruka, "Nobody was supposed to know! The Third Hokage's orders!"

"Sakura has the right to know, Iruka. She was Naruto's teammate when they were genin."

Iruka sighed heavily.

"Why not tell her everything then," said the dark haired chuunin," If hse has the right to know, as you say, then tell her the whole story."

"Does Naruto know?" asked Sakura.

"If not before, then he does now," replied Kakashi, "If anyone told him, it would have most likely been Jiraiya. The man was the Fourth Hokage's sensei. Plus, their chakra signatures are very similar."

"What happened to Naruto's mother?" Sakura asked, "I know that the Fourth Hokage died the night the Kyuubi attacked the village."

"She died the same night that the Fourth Hokage did," Kakashi answered, "The night that Naruto was born. I am sure that you know what is inside of Naruto, Sakura, am I right?"

Sakura nodded.

"The original Jinchuuriki was Kushina," continued the silver haired jounin, "Her seal had somehow broken when she delivered Naruto. Surprisingly enough, she did not die like Jinchuuriki normally do when their tailed beast are released from their host.

"The Fourth Hokage managed to seal the Kyuubi in Naruto before the beast could cause any further damage to the village. He sacrificed himself in the process, with the Third Hokage present during the whole ordeal if I remember correctly."

"Kakashi," Iruka spoke, "What does this Minako character have to do with everything?"

"Tsunade- sama believes that Kushina did not die of natural causes that night," Kakashi responded, "She believes that Minako murdered Kushina that night. According to Kushina Uzumaki's records, the Uzumaki clan is highly capable of surviving extraction due to their massive amounts of chakra that they gain from the tailed beast over time. There are no records of anyone from the clan dying from extraction due to the process itself."

Silence overcame the three shinobi until all the search parties decided to stop for the night.

* * *

Naruto sat down at a small table, watching Saya color and doodling pictures himself.

"Daddy!" shouting Saya. Naruto looked up from his frog doodles. Saya held up a picture of a deer.

"That's a deer, Saya," said Naruto, who took the picture.

"I know! Daddy like deers!" said Saya. Naruto handed the picture back to the toddler.

Daddy? Deer?

Naruto only knew one clan in the Leaf that dealt with deer on a regular basis and that clan was the Nara clan.

Sasuke's words came to mind.

_You will know soon enough…_

Was Saya Shikamaru's daughter?

Saya continued to draw. Naruto picked up a black crayon and began drawing stick figures next to his orange frog.

"I hope that isn't me, dobe," a voice spoke, surprising Naruto. Saya looked up.

"Sasuke!" screamed Saya. She got up, picking up her picture and ran behind Naruto. The blonde shinobi turned around on his cushion and saw Sasuke kneel down next to Saya.

"This is Daddy's deer!"

"Looks just like one of his deer, Saya," said Sasuke, "You should give it to him when he visits next time."

Saya gave Sasuke a hug and went back to coloring. Sasuke sat down next to Naruto.

"Where's Temari?" asked Naruto.

"Talking to Gaara," Sasuke replied. He looked at Naruto's picture.

"You are a horrible artist."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke.

"Thanks for the info. The Uchiha clan are truly a perceptive bunch, aren't they?"

"I am surprised that you think of something besides ramen," Sasuke said, pointing to Naruto's frog, "What is that?"

"Your face by the time I'm finished with you."

Both shinobi heard a fit of giggles. They found Saya holding up a picture of two people, one with black hair and one with yellow hair, holding hands. Sasuke noticed Naruto slightly blushing.

"Just like her father," whispered Sasuke.

"Saya reminds me a bit of Shikamaru, don't you think?"

Sasuke stared at Naruto. Surely the blonde man could not have figured all that out from a child's picture.

"She belongs to Shikamaru, doesn't she?"

Before Sasuke could reply, the door to the room opened behind them.

"Uncle Kankuro!" shouted Say. She got up and ran to Kankuro, wrapping her arms around his leg. Kankuro placed a hand on top of Saya's dark pigtails.

"Ready to go see Mama, Squirt?" Kankuro asked. Saya nodded in reply. Before Kankuro and Saya left, Saya waved at Naruto and Sasuke.

"Bye, Sasuke! Bye, Naruto!"

After Saya and Kankuro left, Sasuke spoke.

"Yes, Saya is Shikamaru's daughter. I remember telling you that it is a touchy subject, especially around Kankuro."

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"I will tell you if you promise to keep quiet about it."

Naruto nodded.

"Shikamaru was going to marry Temari three years ago after she found out that she was pregnant. Sometime later, Shikamaru married Ino because of some agreement between the Nara and the Yamanaka clans," said Sasuke, "From what Temari has told me, Shikamaru never loved Ino but went through with the marriage regardless."

"Because he's lazy?"

"I am thinking the same thing," Sasuke replied, "Shikamaru loves Temari and Saya and tries to visit whenever he can. It is more difficult for the two of them now that he and Ino have a son together."

"Does Shikamaru still want to marry Temari?" Naruto asked. Sasuke nodded.

"Yes, he does. Temari said that he plans on leaving Ino sometime. He just does not know how or when yet. From what I heard from her, though, is that there may be something going on between Ino and Chouji. Shikamaru has suspected that for at least a year now."

"And Shikamaru's son with Ino? Does he suspect that he belongs to Chouji?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"Asuma is only a year younger than Saya. There is no way that he would be Chouji's child, although Ino is pregnant with her second child. Shikamaru suspects that this child belongs to Chouji because Shikamaru was here with Temari when Ino got pregnant. Ino thinks he does not know that, but he does."

"Does Chouji love Ino?" asked Naruto.

"Shikamaru says that Chouji does, according to what Temari has told me."

Naruto smiled widely.

"Maybe that is Shikamaru's ticket out then."

* * *

Sakura was sitting in front of a roaring campfire when she felt the log beneath her slightly move. Sakura looked up to find Kakashi sitting next to her.

"Where is Hinata?" asked the jounin. Sakura gently stoked the fire.

"She went to bed early," replied the medic- nin, "She said that she was tired."

"Tired, huh?"

Kakashi thought it was rather odd for a woman of the Hyuuga clan to be tired the way that Hinata had been as of late. The entire clan usually possessed considerable amounts of chakra and stamina because of the Byakugan.

"Hinata has been getting tired an awful lot lately I've noticed," continued Sakura," Neji always hovers over her as if she could break at any moment. I have offered to check her out several times, but she always refuses."

"Hinata- sama has been ill for several weeks. It is nothing to worry about, Sakura- san. She has been under the case of our clan's medic- nin."

Sakura and Kakashi looked behind them to find Neji standing partially in the shadows.

"Your turn, Sakura," said Kakashi. The medic- nin sighed as she rose to her feet and left for patrol. Neji walked over to where Kakashi sat.

"How long, Neji?" asked Kakashi.

"About five years," Neji replied solemnly, "I found it rather odd that I was the shoulder that she cried on for so many nights after all I have done to her in our youth."

"Hinata was always a forgiving person. You were no exception, Neji."

Neji took a seat beside Kakashi.

"The clans of the Leaf each hold a secret. The Hyuuga clan is no exception. Naruto's departure sealed my fate for eternity," Neji spoke softly.

"What do you mean?" asked Kakashi.

"I choose not to speak of it for now, but I wish to ask a favor of you, Senpai."

"Anything, Neji."

"Is there any way possible for Hinata- sama and myself to be on the same team?" Neji asked, "I wish to be near her."

"I will have to discuss it with Shikamary, but it should not be a problem, especially if she and Sakura were on the same team."

Neji stood up.

"Thank you, Kakashi- senpai."

Without another word, Neji made his way toward his and Hinata's tent.


	10. Chapter 9

A/N: You know the routine. Don't own, so don't sue.

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

Neji settled down in his sleeping bag next to Hinata. Lying back, he placed an arm around the dark haired woman's waist.

"Hello, Neji nii- san," whispered Hinata, resting her hand atop Neji's hand. Neji rested his cheek on Hinata's hair, taking in the scent of flowers.

"Please do not call me that in private, Hinata," whispered Neji. He began to lightly rub Hinata's slightly protruding abdomen.

"Especially after what we have done," Neji continued.

"I am sorry, Neji. Just habit, I guess."

"I just talked to Kakashi- senpai about us being on the same team," said Neji, "He may be able to arrange it to where you are with Sakura."

Hinata rolled onto her back and sat up.

"I would feel more comfortable if I were on her squad," she said, "If anything were to go wrong, she is capable of dealing with it, being trained by Tsunade- sama herself."

The young heiress sighed.

"What is wrong, Hinata?" Neji asked.

"I am afraid that if someone finds out what is going on with me, they may send me back to the village," replied Hinata, "I do not want to do that."

Neji sat up beside Hinata, placing an arm around her.

"It may come to that sooner or later, Hinata," Neji whispered, "It would be best for both your safety and that of the child. Until then, you need to be extra careful."

Hinata rested her head on the older man's shoulder.

"I am afraid, Nii- san."

"Afraid of what?" Neji asked.

"That someone will find out about our clan's secret."

Neji rested his head on top of Hinata's.

"It is bound to come out, Hinata. It has been going on for generations within our clan. All we can do is be strong when the time comes."

Hinata placed her hand on her stomach.

"I am beside you every step of the way, Hinata," continued Neji, "Remember that."

Neji placed a gentle kiss on Hinata's cheek.

"You are the future heir of our clan and the one who will unite the main and the side branches. Your father mentioned that," whispered Neji, "He said that it has been long overdue."

Hinata closed her eyes.

"I know, Neji."

Hinata and Neji laid back down, Hinata wrapped in Neji's arms. Neji placed another kiss on Hinata's cheek.

"Your father wishes for me to marry you as soon as possible, hopefully within the next month, so it does not become an issue between the elders of the clan."

"That will be fine," replied Hinata, "But do not forget that it may become an issue with those outside of the clan, Neji."

"Why would it be an issue?" asked Neji, "Our clan and the Uchiha clan have been doing it for generations. I am sure that our friends will not think twice about it. I believe that Kakashi- senpai has even begun to figure it out."

Hinata grasped Neji's hand tightly.

"I was afraid of that as well," replied Hinata, "Kurenai- sensei spoke of Kakashi- sensei on many occasions as being highly perceptive."

"No matter what happens, Hinata, we will make it through."

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto walked down the corridor towards the guest chambers.

"Do you find anything while you were out, teme?" asked Naruto.

"Nothing," Sasuke replied, "We have found nothing the last few times we have been on patrol. I believe the Akatsuki is lying low for a while and waiting for the right moment to attack."

"How long do you plan on staying in Suna?"

"I will probably finish out the week here, then I will depart for Sound. I have a team established there."

"Sound?" Naruto asked. Sasuke nodded.

"Orochimaru left a while back," said Sasuke, "There is hardly anything there now. I use it as a base for my team."

"When you leave, I want to go with you, Sasuke."

Sasuke stopped in the middle of the corridor. Naruto stopped next to him.

"No."

"Why in the hell not, Sasuke?"

"It is too dangerous, Naruto. I am very surprised that you have managed not to get yourself killed before now, being a Jinchuuriki."

"Sasuke! I don't care if it's dangerous!" hissed Naruto, "I am going with you!"

"No, you are no, Naruto!" shouted Sasuke, "I am not dragging you down with me! I am the one that has to kill Itachi, not you!"

"And I can make your job easier, Sasuke! The Akatsuki are after me, right?" asked the blonde shinobi, "If I am with you, then BAM! You have Itachi in your reach!"

"Itachi is the least of my worries, Naruto."

The two shinobi continued to walk down the hall.

"But you said that you have to be the one to kill Itachi. Why is he not the least of your worries?" asked Naruto.

"There is someone else that I have to kill before I can kill Itachi, Naruto," answered Sasuke, "Once I kill him, then the path is clear for me to go after Itachi."

"Who is it?"

The two shinobi stopped once more in the corridor. Sasuke looked at Naruto, his Sharingan slowly revealing itself.

"Orochimaru."

* * *

Sakura woke up the next morning to an empty sleeping back next to her. The medic- nin sat up and stretched. Sakura got up and left the tent, finding Kakashi and Shikamaru talking near the burnt out campfire. She noticed that some of the tents had disappeared. Sakura walked over and sat next to Kakashi.

"You're up early," said Kakashi.

"By the looks of things, I woke up late," replied Sakura, "Where is everyone?"

"Gai's team left for Sound at daybreak," said Shikamaru, "Shino has gone on ahead for my team."

"Neji is doing the same for us," said Kakashi.

"Kakashi- senpai," said Shikamaru, "you said that you had something to speak to me about."

Kakashi turned back to Shikamaru.

"Neji asked me if it was possible for Hinata to trade teams," said Kakashi, "I told him it was alright on if you allowed it."

"Hinata?" asked Shikamaru, "Why?"

"As a member of the branch family, it is my duty to protect the heir of the Hyuuga clan."

The three ninja turned to find Neji leaned back against a tree, his arms folded across his chest. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"You really need to quit doing that, Neji," said the dark- headed jounin. Neji smirked slightly as he walked toward Shikamaru and took a seat next to the Shadow user.

"What did you find out?" asked Kakashi.

"Clear to the border, Kakashi- senpai," replied Neji, "Only Kumogakure shinobi patrolling past there. They already know we are on our way."

"Good," replied Kakashi.

"Where is Hinata- sama?" asked Neji. Shikamaru yawned, scratching his head.

"Still sleeping, I presume," replied Shikamaru, "Something I wish I was doing."

"You can do plenty of that once you arrive in Suna," replied Kakashi. Shikamaru yawned once more.

"If you want Hinata, then who will replace her on my team?"

"How about Lee?" asked Kakashi, "If I remember correctly, he and the Kazekage are good friends."

"Fine, I'll take Lee, but I don't want any of his 'Gai- sensei' stuff, got it?"

"Don't worry, he has pretty much grown out of that phase, at least when Gai- sensei is not around," chuckled Neji. Shikamaru stood up and stretched.

"Well, if anyone runs into Lee, tell him that we are leaving around noon."

* * *

Naruto sat on the bed, reading a comic book.

"I am impressed, dobe. You are actually capable of something else besides eating ramen."

Naruto looked up and saw Sasuke closing the door behind him. The Uchiha walked over and sat down at the edge of the bed. Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke.

"You owe me ramen, teme. Remember?"

"Later," replied Sasuke, "We need to talk."

Sasuke jerked Naruto's book from his hands and sat it on a nearby nightstand.

"Talk? What about?" asked Naruto. Sasuke moved closer to Naruto. The Uchiha heard the blonde's breath hitch slightly.

"Why?" asked Sasuke, "Why did you come searching for me after all I did to you?"

"I made a promise to Sakura that I would find you and bring you home," replied Naruto.

"For some reason, I don't believe that is the whole story, dobe."

Naruto sighed.

"You were my best friend, Sasuke. That's why."

Sasuke looked at Naruto, speechless. Best friend? After cutting all ties with the blonde, Naruto still considered Sasuke his friend.

Sasuke closed his eyes, hoping it was too late to repair those ties he tried to severe years ago.

"You still believe in me, don't you?" asked Sasuke, "You still believe I will return to Konoha one day."

Sasuke then opened his eyes.

"Yeah, I do, Sasuke," replied the other shinobi, "I believe you will return to Konoha after you do what you think needs to be done."

Naruto looked down at his palms.

"I believe that you will come back to me one day and we can continue where we left off."

"Even if I return willingly, things will never be the same as they were before."

Naruto looked up at Sasuke. The Uchiha chuckled lightly.

"We were 13 when I left. Kami's sake, I'm 20 now, Naruto!" said Sasuke, "We aren't children anymore."

Sasuke placed a hand into Naruto's open palms.

"I will return to Konoha one day, Naruto, if only for you."

The Uchiha leaned in and placed a small, gentle kiss on the blonde's cheek.

"I have always regretted leaving you behind because to me, you were my only true friend," continued Sasuke, taking Naruto's hands into his own, "Can you forgive me?"

Naruto looked down at their hand, then to Sasuke.

"Yeah, I do…teme," smiled Naruto. Sasuke smiled weakly.

"Sasuke, why wait until you return to the village to continue where we left off?" asked Naruto, "Why not start over here and now?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Huh?" asked the Uchiha. Naruto chuckled.

"You are going to be stuck with me for a while, whether you like it or not," said the younger shinobi, "Must as well get on with it, eh?"

Naruto leaned into Sasuke and kissed him deeply. Instead of pulling away like he thought he should have, the Uchiha continued with the kiss.

This feels so right, thought Sasuke.

When the two of them parted, Sasuke spoke.

"How long?"

Naruto shrugged.

"A while, I guess," the blonde shinobi replied, "Never really understood it myself actually. You were the only guy I ever found myself attracted to."

Sasuke let go of Naruto's hands and got up.

"Let's go get you some ramen, then we will talk some more," said Sasuke.


	11. Chapter 10

A/N: Now a word from some of my original characters from some of my original stories:

Lycel: The authoress does not own these characters, just the ones from the original books that she is writing.

Leviathan: If you have a problem with that, deal with it!

Kieran: Why is Levi here? I thought he died when his buddy blew up those soldiers?

Leviathan: You're an idiot. At least I don't whine when something doesn't go my way.

*Leviathan and Kieran proceed to fight*

Lycel: *sighs* I am so glad that they are in different novels from me.

Me: Me too, Lycel. Me too.

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

Kakashi and his group left shortly after Shikamaru's group. Neji and Hinata led the way. Iruka was in the middle, with Kakashi and Sakura trailing in the back.

"I have to continue to Kumogakure after we depart Whirlpool," said Kakashi.

"Why?" asked Sakura.

"The Hokage wants me to gather some information from Jiraiya concerning the whereabouts of the Akatsuki," Kakashi replied, "They've been silent for a while now."

"That's good, right?" asked the pink headed kunoichi. Kakashi shook his head.

"No, it isn't, Sakura. They could hit when we least expect it. That's bad news, especially with Naruto most likely alone out there still."

"Well, I want to go with you to Kumogakure, Kakashi."

"Hold up, Sakura!" said the silver headed jounin, "I was given strict orders that I was to go alone."

"By Tsunade- sama," said Sakura, "Go figure, Kakashi. I want to go with you. I don't care what she says."

"Sakura…"

"You weren't back for long when she sent you on this mission. Also, we haven't been back together for long. As your girlfriend, lover, whatever you want to call it, I feel like that the only way for me to know you are alright is to go with you."

Kakashi sighed. He knew that she would try to do this.

"Kumogakure is a rough place if I remember correctly," said Kakashi, "You are better off in Sunagakure. At least the people there are friendly."

"The only place I am better off is next to you, and fighting if it comes to that, Kakashi!"

Kakashi stopped, as did Sakura. The jounin looked down at the young medic.

"Is there nothing I can do to persuade you otherwise, Sakura?"

Sakura shook her head.

"Nothing, Kakashi," replied the medic.

Kakashi took Sakura's hand.

"So, you are willing to risk your life to follow an old man like me?"

Sakura giggled, "You are not that old, Kakashi."

"In this line of work, I should have retired five years ago," replied Kakashi, "Maybe I will retire after this mission is over with."

Kakashi leaned in and spoke softly into Sakura's ear.

"We can get married and start a family. I was thinking about three, maybe four children. How does that sound, Sakura?"

Sakura smiled widely.

"I would love that, Old Man," Sakura laughed lightly, "I don't know about the four children though. Maybe the three."

* * *

Three days passed by quickly for Sasuke and Naruto. The blonde found himself that morning babysitting Saya while Temari was out. The little girl was in the floor, playing with her dolls while Naruto sat in a nearby chair, reading his comic book. A knock came from the door, causing Naruto, whose chair was tipped back, to fall back into the floor. Saya laughed loudly.

"You are silly, Uncle Naruto!"

Naruto rolled over onto his side and shouted.

"Door's unlocked!"

The door opened and a very familiar head popped in.

"Daddy!" screamed Saya. The little dark haired girl quickly got up and ran to Shikamaru. Naruto sat up and gingerly rubbed his head. The blond looked at Shikamaru with wide eyes.

"Naruto?" the shadow user asked, picking up his daughter.

"Shikamaru?" asked Naruto. The door opened all the way and Temari stood beside Shikamaru. Naruto stood up and walked over to Shikamaru and Temari.

"What are you doing here?" asked the Jinchuuriki.

"I was sent here by the old lady, Naruto," replied Shikamaru.

"Did anyone else come with you?"

"Yeah," Shikamaru answered, "Shino, Anko, and Lee. Lee's visiting with the Kazekage right now. I don't know about the whereabouts of the other two though."

Shikamaru kneeled down onto the floor with Saya.

"The other two went out on patrol, Shikamaru," said Temari, "That bug guy is quite useful in my opinion."

"Why are you guys here?" Naruto asked.

"Looking for you, Naruto!" replied Shikamaru, "I am surprised you are here of all places."

"Sasuke's here too!

Shikamaru's eyes widened. He looked from his daughter to Naruto.

"What?" asked Shikamaru.

"I said that Sasuke is also here!" Naruto repeated, "I ran into him a few days ago. We have been here since."

"Nobody told me anything," said Shikamaru, glaring at Temari.

"You never asked," replied Temari, "Plus, contacting you would have made your wife suspicious."

"Where's Sasuke?" asked Shikamaru.

"Out on patrol with Kankuro," answered Temari, "They should be back in a few hours."

Shikamaru looked back at Naruto.

"Do you mind watching Saya for a bit longer, Naruto? I need to talk to Temari."

* * *

"Nothing!" shouted Iruka as he sat down next to Kakashi, "I did not get anything at all!"

Kakashi looked up at Iruka. His team had been in Whirlpool for nearly two days and gathered no information other than what they already knew.

"Did you try all the usual places?" asked Kakashi. Iruka nodded.

"No one would speak to me, except one person and they did not know anything other than what we already knew, Kakashi."

Iruka sighed heavily.

"This is useless," continued the chuunin.

"Neji and the others are still out," Kakashi said, "Neji and Hinata are checking the outskirts of the village as we speak."

"What good will that do, Kakashi?" asked Iruka. Kakashi stood up and pocketed his book. Iruka stood up as well and, together, the two Leaf shinobi left the small tavern.

"Kushina grew up in the outskirts of the village," said Kakashi, "Jiraiya told me that before he left for Kumogakure. I am sure someone would have seen Naruto at one point or another."

The shinobi walked down the crowded street toward the inn they were staying in.

"Sakura presumes that Naruto chose to stay out of the village and with good reason," continued the jounin, "He would have been easily recognizable to the few Cloud shinobi that are assigned here. I am sure that they have seen a picture of Naruto from the files that the Hokage sent to the Raikage."

"So, you are saying that Naruto wanted to remain hidden?" asked Iruka.

"Surprised, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah, I am. Naruto was never the type of person to keep quiet growing up."

"My reasoning is that Kushina turned her back on the village when she married Minato- sensei. Nobody in this village remembers her because they choose not to remember."

When the two shinobi arrived to their rooms, Iruka turned to Kakashi.

"What if we find nothing here?" asked the chuunin.

"You will continue to Sunagakure and assist Shikamaru's team there. Hinata and Neji will go with you," replied Kakashi, "I have to continue to Kumogakure and meet up with Jiraiya."

"And Sakura? Are you allowing her to go with you?" asked Iruka. Kakashi slowly nodded.

"Despite the potential risk, she is not backing off," replied the silver headed jounin, "The Hokage will not be too happy when she hears about it."

"Sakura loves you, Kakashi," said Iruka, "In a way, I understand why she would come with you. You two were separated for nearly two years."

"But I broke it off with her before I left, Iruka. I don't see why she came back to me."

"You may not understand it now, Kakashi, but you will one day," said Iruka, "I am going to do some paperwork. Get me when Neji and Hinata return."

Kakashi nodded in reply as he watched Iruka enter his room. Kakashi opened the door and entered the room he shared with Sakura.

"Sakura?" said Kakashi as he closed the door behind him.

"In here, Kakashi!" replied Sakura from the direction of the bathroom. Kakashi walked over to the bathroom and was in awe at the sight of Sakura,

The pink haired chuunin stood in front of the mirror in nothing but her underwear, fixing her hair. Sakura turned around and smirked lightly.

"You act like you haven't seen me dressed like this before, Kakashi."

"I haven't, Sakura," replied Kakashi, "but I don't plan on objecting in the future."

Sakura walked over to Kakashi and put her arms around the jounin's neck, pulling down his mask in the process. Kakashi lifted up his forehead protector.

"What do you think?" asked Sakura.

"Think of what?" replied Kakashi.

"About the outfit, Kakashi," Sakura replied.

"It isn't very ninja- like, Sakura. You may have found a way to distract the enemy though."

"Kakashi!"

Kakashi kissed Sakura on the forehead.

"You look beautiful, Sakura," said Kakashi. Sakura looked down at her chest.

"I'm not as blessed as some of the other kunoichi in the village."

"And your point is?"

Sakura looked up at Kakashi.

"I don't care if you aren't, Sakura. You are still beautiful in my eyes."

Sakura blushed. Kakashi placed his arms around Sakura's waist.

"What is the occasion?" asked the jounin.

"Nothing really. I just didn't expect you to return from the tavern so soon. Did Iruka- sensei find anything?"

"No, he didn't," replied Kakashi," Neji and Hinata should be back later this afternoon."

"And if they didn't get any information?" asked Sakura.

"Then they can leave for Sunagakure this evening and we can leave for Kumogakure," answered Kakashi, "We shouldn't be there for too long. Jiraiya is a very busy man."

"Busy doing what? Peeping on poor, innocent women in the baths?"

Kakashi shrugged.

"Who knows, Sakura. He is one of the Sannin. Besides, as long as it isn't you, I will be fine."

Sakura kissed Kakashi lightly on the cheek.

"I am hungry. Want to get something to eat before Hinata and Neji return?"


	12. Chapter 11

A/N: I wish I owned the characters, but I don't. *cries in a corner*

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

"I will make this rather brief," said Shikamaru as he and Temari sat down in the floor down the hallway from Saya's playroom. The chuunin looked at Temari.

"Ino is divorcing me," said Shikamaru, "She found someone else."

"Who?" asked Temari.

"My best friend," chuckled Shikamaru, "Truth be told, I am rather happy for them. He has loved her for a long time, since we were children. I would rather see them together and being happy than Ino staying married to me and being unhappy. Don't get me wrong. I do love her, but she has been nothing more than like a sister to me."

Shikamaru took Temari's hand and squeezed it.

"Do you still want to marry me?" asked the chuunin, "Especially after all of this?"

Temari smiled and kissed Shikamaru on the cheek.

"Yes, I want to still marry you," replied Temari, "You are a troublesome fool, but yes, I will. Whenever will be fine by me."

"Hopefully in the next few months," Shikamaru replied, "Ino hasn't told her parents yet. My parents already figured it out before I left Konoha this time around."

"Your parents are good about things like that, especially your father," said Temari, "Remember the time I was pregnant, before you married Ino?"

"He was the only one, besides me, that didn't want me to marry her. I wish I would have stood up to my mother and done something about it."

Temari kissed Shikamaru once more.

"That is in the past, Shikamaru. You cannot do anything about it," said Temari, "It was bound to come to this sooner or later."

"Daddy! Mama! Where are you?"

Shikamaru and Temari looked up the corridor. Saya ran toward the shinobi, Naruto following behind her. Saya jumped onto Shikamaru's lap.

"Daddy! Come play with me!" smiled Saya.

"Sorry, Shikamaru," said Naruto, catching up with the little girl, "She insisted on seeing her daddy."

"That's alright," replied Shikamaru, hugging Saya, "She reminds me of her mother."

Shikamaru saw Temari blush a bright red out of the corner of his eye.

* * *

_Shit_, thought Sasuke.

He wasn't supposed to run into any of his old comrades. Now, here they were, waiting on Sasuke. The Uchiha proceeded up the walkway toward the Kazekage Mansion, Kankuro following closely behind him. In front of the doorway stood Gaara and Temari. Lee stood to the Kazekage's left, and Shikamaru stood to Temari's right. Naruto was nowhere to be found.

"Where is Naruto?" Sasuke asked bluntly.

"He is inside with Saya," replied Temari, "Don't worry. He is fine."

"Why are they here?" asked the Uchiha, pointing to Lee.

"We were sent out to find Naruto," Shikamaru answered, "You were an added bonus."

Sasuke glared at Shikamaru. The shadow user walked toward Sasuke, but was immediately stopped short by the tip of Sasuke's katana resting on his throat.

"Sasuke!"

The Uchiha's eyes shifted toward the source of the voice.

"Put it down, Sasuke!" shouted Naruto. Sasuke's katana remained at Shikamaru's throat.

"Sasuke! I said put it down!"

Slowly, Sasuke drew his katana away and placed it back into his holster. Naruto ran toward Sasuke, stopping mere inches in front of the Uchiha.

"We have been looking for the two of you for nearly six years and that is what we get?" asked Shikamaru, glaring at Sasuke. Naruto turned to Shikamaru.

"Who else is around besides you and Bushy Brows?" asked Naruto.

"Anko and Shino are still out," replied Shikamaru, "And I am expecting two other squads later. Kakashi- senpai and Sakura are on one of those squads."

Kakashi- sensei and Sakura? A Team Seven reunion in Sunagakure?

"When do you expect them to arrive?" asked Sasuke.

"Why? So you can run off, Uchiha?"asked Temari. Sasuke glared at the Sand kunoichi.

"Sasuke, stay here for at least a while longer," whispered Naruto, "I want to see Sakura- chan and Kakashi- sensei."

Sasuke fell quiet, looking over at Naruto. He knew it was important to the blonde to be reunited with Kakashi and Sakura after so many years away from them. He had always been closer to them than Sasuke had been.

"Fine," spat the Uchiha in a low, harsh voice, "but I am leaving afterwards and no one is going to stop me."

Without saying anything else, Sasuke glared at Shikamaru before he left.

"He hasn't changed," remarked Shikamaru, "If anything, I think he got worse."

Naruto looked down at his feet, not knowing how to respond to Shikamaru's comment.

He never acted like that around me when we were alone, thought the Jinchuuriki.

"We need to watch him carefully," said Shikamaru, "and make sure he doesn't leave the village."

Naruto quickly looked at the jounin.

"Isn't his word not good enough for you, Shikamaru?" asked Naruto, "He just said he would stay until the others arrive."

"Naruto! We can't trust him!" Shikamaru shouted, "He has connections with Orochimaru! For all we know, he could lead you to him!"

Naruto clinched his hands into fists.

"Sasuke wouldn't do that to me!" Naruto yelled, "Sasuke would never do that to me!"

The blonde then fled the gate, toward the main village. He had to find Sasuke. He needed to find him before someone else did. Naruto ran toward the most likely place he believed Sasuke would be, his sleeping quarters. It took Naruto nearly five minutes to get there.

"Sasuke!" yelled the blonde shinobi when he barged into the room. He looked around. There was no sign of Sasuke anywhere. Naruto then noticed the open window. He walked over and poked his head out, finding Sasuke sitting on the ledge, looking out over Sunagakure. Naruto climbed out of the window and sat down next to Sasuke.

"What are you doing here, idiot?" Sasuke asked, turning to Naruto.

"Are you really going to wait until Kakashi- sensei and Sakura- chan arrive or are you lying to me?"

Sasuke looked back over the skyline.

"Sasuke! Answer me, dammit!"

"I'll stay, Naruto," Sasuke replied, "I know how much seeing Kakashi and Sakura means to you."

The two shinobi fell quiet.

"Shikamaru said that we couldn't trust you because of your connection to the Snake Bastard."

"When did he say that?" asked the Uchiha, his eyes shifting toward Naruto.

"After you left," Naruto replied, "I defended you, but what he said left me worried. Can we trust you? Hell, can I trust you?"

"The last thing I want is for the Akatsuki to get a hold of you, Naruto," said Sasuke. The dark haired shinobi looked down at his hands, which were folded on top of his lap.

"Ask me when I first left if I would be able to betray the village, and I would have said yes in a heartbeat. After hearing about what you have done the last few years, especially after I nearly killed you at the Valley of the End, I could not think of ever betraying you of all people, Naruto," continued Sasuke, "You deserve that much from me at least."

Sasuke looked back at the blonde shinobi sitting next to me.

"Believe me that much, Naruto, okay? You would be the last person I would betray, despite what Nara thinks."

Sasuke took Naruto's hand and gently squeezed it. Naruto squeezed back and leaned in to kiss Sasuke. When they parted, Naruto spoke softly.

"I believe you, Sasuke."

* * *

"Any luck?" asked Kakashi. He, Iruka, Sakura, and Neji met in Iruka's room to discuss any information concerning their mission. Hinata had retired for the evening upon their return to the inn.

"We managed to get one elderly woman to speak to us," Neji replied, "She said that she is a former council elder."

"Former council elder?" Iruka asked. Neji nodded in reply.

"Her name is Tsubaki Minako. She said that Minako is her grandson and that she was a member of the council for the 30 years up to the decline of Whirlpool," Neji continued, "She stated that she remembered seeing a blonde hair shinobi from the Leaf in the area for several months with her grandson. Mentioned that the boy looked nearly identical to the Fourth Hokage. The woman also said that her grandson disappeared shortly after Naruto's departure from the area."

"Did she mention whether or not Minako had any connections to anyone else besides Kumogakure?" asked Kakashi.

"She said something about seeing two shinobi wearing black robes with red clouds on them. They spoke to Minako privately sometime after Naruto departed. He left sometime after speaking to them, according to the woman."

"Akatsuki," Kakashi said. Iruka nodded in response.

"Any defining characteristics for these shinobi, Neji?" Kakashi asked.

"She hid inside during the whole exchange between Minako and the Akatsuki. She did mention that one of them had blue skin and shark like characteristics and carried a large sword. The other had a Leaf protector, long black hair, and the most piercing red eyes she ever seen," Neji spoke, "She knew that he was an Uchiha because she remembered dealing with them around the time of the Fourth Hokage."

"Itachi," muttered Kakashi.

"Has to be, Kakashi," Iruka replied.

"Itachi Uchiha?" asked Sakura. Iruka pulled a small black book from his travel pack and began to leaf through it, stopping halfway through it. He handed the book to Sakura. The medic looked at the entry, then looked at Kakashi and Iruka.

"Itachi is Sasuke's older brother," Kakashi said, "He is considered an S-rank shinobi with a powerful form of the Sharingan. It is said that he is the one solely responsible for Uchiha massacre."

Sakura looked at Kakashi with wide eyes.

"This is the guy that Sasuke is after, isn't it, Kakashi?" Sakura asked. Kakashi nodded. Sakura fell silent, handing the black bingo book back to Iruka.

"We need to head out in the morning now that we have all the information that we need," said Kakashi, "Sunagakure is approximately a four days journey from here."

"Are you still going to Kumogakure, Kakashi?" Iruka asked. Kakashi nodded and replied.

"Kumogakure is about a day away from here. Sakura and me can make it there before nightfall most likely if we leave within an hour after sunrise. Jiraiya should still be there to update me on the situation with the Akatsuki."

Neji rose from his chair and spoke.

"I am retiring for the evening. I shall inform Hinata- sama on the situation."

The young Hyuuga bowed before leaving the room. Kakashi and Sakura stood up from their seats as well. After they said their good nights and left, Kakashi spoke.

"You can still go with the others to Sungakure if you wish, Sakura."

Sakura looked up at Kakashi.

"I am going with you, Kakashi," the pink haired medic replied, "I am not backing now so soon in this game."

Kakashi took Sakura's hand as they entered their room. When Kakashi shut the door behind them, he pulled down his mask and kissed Sakura.

"The Hokage will be angry with me if she found out you went to Kumogakure with me," said the gray haired jounin.

"Let her be angry then, Kakashi. I have waited too long for you to return the first time around," Sakura whispered, "I am not about to do it again the second time."

Sakura clutched Kakashi's hand tightly. The jounin leaned in and kissed Sakura once more, this time lingering longer than before. He felt Sakura let go of his hand and place her arms around his neck.

"I love you, Kakashi," Sakura breathed, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Sakura, you are still very young," replied Kakashi, "Why would you want to do that?"

"I just know. I can't really explain it."

Kakashi gently placed his arms around the medic's waist, pulling her closer to him. She knew the taboos involved. She was his former student. Yet, he couldn't deny that, somehow, it felt right being with her. Kakashi didn't want to lose the first person that cared about him so deeply in years.

"I know it is sudden and we have only been back together for a short period of time," whispered Kakashi, "The last few years were hell for me."

_Too soon, really_, though the Sharingan user, _either of us could die tomorrow._

"Marry me, Sakura."

Sakura's eyes widened. Kakashi saw a string of tears running down the young woman's cheeks.

"Yes, I will, Kakashi," Sakura whispered, hugging the jounin tightly.


	13. Chapter 12

A/N: No, I don't know the characters. I just play around with them.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

The next morning, Team Kakashi met at the entrance to the village.

"We will probably be two days' journey behind you starting tomorrow," Kakashi spoke, "You can wait for us at the board if you wish, especially in the condition that Hinata is currently in."

Kakashi and Iruka, who were speaking separately from the other members, looked at the others from a distance.

"Do you know the full extent of Hinata's condition, Kakashi?" asked Iruka. Kakashi shook his head.

"No, I don't," the copy ninja replied, "The only one who knows about it is Neji and he is keeping quiet about it at the moment. Not even Sakura knows and she is the closest person to Hinata outside the Hyuuga clan."

"I know something is up with Hinata but I just cannot place it," Iruka said.

"Everything will come out into the open in due time, Iruka. It always does."

Sakura ran over to the two shinobi.

"We are ready whenever you are," Sakura spoke. Kakashi looked to Iruka.

"We will meet with the two of you at the border between Wind and Fire, Kakashi," said Iruka, "That should provide enough time for Hinata to rest up before we continue to Sunagakure."

Kakashi nodded in acknowledgement. Once Iruka and the Hyuugas left, Kakashi spoke to Sakura.

"Shall we depart?"

The medic nin nodded and they departed for Kumogakure.

* * *

Kakashi and Sakura arrived in Kumogakure just before the sun began to set. As the two ninja walked the streets of the village, Sakura looked around, obviously impressed with the scenery. Kakashi chuckled, causing the kunoichi to look up at him.

"Impressive, isn't it?" asked Kakashi. Sakura nodded.

"I have never been anywhere besides Suna, Konoha, and the Land of Waves before this trip, Kakashi," Sakura replied.

"The last time I was here, the shinobi here had just kidnapped Hinata Hyuuga," said Kakashi, "I was a member of one of the backup ANBU squads. Things have not changed a lot since then, for the exception of the shinobi of Kumo being kinder towards shinobi from other lands."

The couple continued down the street, eventually stopping off at an unknown building.

"Jiraiya should be in here if I know him well enough," said Kakashi, "Stay with me at all times. The place is pretty shady."

Sakura nodded in reply as the two ninja entered the small tavern- like building. Inside the building was filled with smoke and the smell of sake. Kakashi looked around the room.

"Over there," Kakashi said, leaning in toward Sakura. He and the medical kunoichi walked toward the furthest corner of the room. At a table, his back toward everyone else was Jiraiya, drinking sake. Kakashi and Sakura sat down.

"Jiraiya- sama," began Kakashi.

"Kakashi."

Jiraiya looked over toward Sakura, then back to the copy ninja.

"I was not aware that anyone else would be present when I met with you, Kakashi."

"She decided to come at the last minute, Jiraiya- sama."

Jiraiya observed Sakura once more.

"You're Tsunade's apprentice, aren't you? I have seen you with her on several occasions when I was in Konoha."

Jiraiya turned his attentions back to Kakashi.

"What have you found out so far, Kakashi?"

Kakashi folded his arms across his chest.

"Itachi Uchiha spoke to Minako sometime after Naruto was last seen in Whirlpool," replied Kakashi, "He disappeared sometime afterwards."

"That much I was guessing at," Jiraiya replied, "The Akatsuki must have either located him after they found out about Naruto's location or they could have recruited the guy prior to that. Could be either, but I am leaning more toward the latter."

Jiraiya sat a book down on the table before Kakashi. Kakashi picked the book up and began to look through it.

"The reason I am leaning toward prior recruitment is because Minako has been considered an S- ranked missing nin for a while now. Like everyone else in the Akatsuki, he is dangerous."

Jiraiya pointed to a picture of Minako and Kushina when they were younger, most likely during their genin days.

"He knows quite a bit about the Nine Tails," continued the Toad Sannin, "Probably as much or even more than Konoha."

"What do you mean, Jiraiya- sama?" Kakashi asked, looking up from the book.

"Well, first of all, he and Kushina were genin teammates. You and me know that she was the previous host of the Nine Tails. Secondly, legend states that the Nine Tails is originally from the Land of Whirlpools and has been a part of the Uzumaki lineage for as long as anyone can remember, at least, until Kushina married Minato."

Kakashi closed the book and handed it back to Jiraiya.

"And what about the Akatsuki, Jiraiya- sama?" asked Kakashi, "What have you found out about them?"

Jiraiya shook his head and replied, "No luck, Kakashi. Not good because they just captured the eight tailed host, which makes their count up to seven now."

Kakashi's uncovered eye widened.

"That means that the only ones left are…"

"Naruto and Gaara," Jiraiya said, finishing off Kakashi's statement. The copy nin went quiet. Sakura looked at the jounin as he slowly rose to his feet.

"We need to find Naruto as soon as possible."

Jiraiya smiled.

"I just received word earlier from one of my summons that Naruto is in Sunagakure with the Uchiha boy."

* * *

Naruto woke up the next morning to an empty bed. The blond shinobi sat up and yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked on the nightstand to his right, finding a not. Naruto picked it up and read it.

_Training. Meet me at the training grounds after you wake up. –Sasuke_

The blonde shinobi smiled as he sat the note down. He got up and proceeded to get dressed. Naruto was tying his headband when a knock came from the door. He walking to the door and opened it, finding Temari standing in the hallway.

"Good morning," said Naruto.

"Morning," replied Temari, "Did you receive Uchiha's note?"

Naruto nodded and replied, "I am on my way there, actually."

"I'll take you there," said the Sand kunoichi, "He figured you didn't know where they were so he asked me to escort you."

Naruto left the room and followed Temari out of the building.

"Where are the others?" asked Naruto.

"Shikamaru and Lee are out on patrol with Kankuro. They are going to meet one of the Leaf's teams at the bordercountry."

"Sakura-chan's team?" asked Naruto. Temari shook her head.

"Gai's team," replied Temari.

"Bushy Brows' sensei!" Naruto exclaimed, "Sounds like Granny Tsunade sent the whole village!"

"They will be here around nightfall, so don't have anything planned. Gaara wishes to speak to everyone later."

"Figures," said Naruto.

* * *

Temari and Naruto arrived at the training grounds nearly ten minutes later, finding Sasuke sitting underneath a nearby tree.

"I have to depart," Temari said, "I am running errands for Gaara."

After Temari left, Naruto walked over to where Sasuke sat, kneeling down before him.

"Good morning," whispered Naruto.

"Morning," Sasuke replied quietly, his eyes meeting with Naruto's. Naruto sat down in front of the Uchiha.

"Did you want to train or not?" asked Naruto. Sasuke smirked.

Both shinobi rose to their feet and stared at one another.

"If you plan on going with me, I need to know if you have improved."

Sasuke withdrew his katana. Naruto performed his infamous shadow clone jutsu.

"Then let's get this party started!" exclaimed the blond shinobi.


	14. Chapter 13

A/N: Don't own, so don't do the lawyer thing. You won't get too much from me besides a cheap car and bills/student loans.

Also, I am getting back into my writing mood. About damn time in my opinion. I have much more of this story written than I have typed. Starting with this chapter (Chapter 13), I hope to publish once a week, either on Saturday or Sunday. Right now, I am suffering from a major road block in how I want this story to progress. I hope that I am past that roadblock once I get around to posting those chapters.

If I estimated correctly, I am around the halfway mark with this story, maybe shortly before the halfway mark. I may be ending this story around Chapter 30, give or take a few chapters. Then again, it may be past that mark too. Just bear with me, I am also a teacher, so that usually comes first attention wise. Thanks and much love to my fans!

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Sakura could not believe what she had heard.

_Naruto and Sasuke were both in Suna,_ she thought, _but how?_

"Thank you, Jiraiya," replied Kakashi.

"No problem really, Kakashi. I thought you needed to know, sensei to sensei," Jiraiya said. Sakura stood up.

"Going so soon, you two?" asked the Frog Sannin.

"We are meeting with the rest of our group before going to Suna," the Sharingan user replied.

"Okay, good luck then. I will see you in Konoha at a later time, I presume."

Kakashi and Sakura said goodbye to Jiraiya and left the tavern.

"We will find an inn on our way out of Kumo," said Kakashi, "I have never cared too much for the area.

"That bad, Kakashi?" Sakura asked.

"We have only been on halfway good terms with Kumogakure since the Fifth Hokage took over," Kakashi spoke, "Not good enough to be allies as of yet, but still decent."

Kakashi and Sakura continued to walk until they reached the gate. Kakashi stopped, grabbing Sakura's arm.

"We can stop over somewhere unless you think you are capable of travelling straight through to the border. I rather find somewhere to stay in our country."

Sakura smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm capable, Kakashi," replied the kunoichi, "Did you forget who trained me the last few years?"

* * *

Both shinobi collapsed to the ground next to one another, breathing heavily.

"I'm impressed, idiot," Sasuke said, "You've improved dramatically."

"I still have a way to go, but thanks."

Sasuke sat up and looked at Naruto.

"I have noticed something," said Sasuke, "Your control over the fox has drastically improved too."

"You think so?" Naruto asked, sitting up. Sasuke nodded.

"When I left, you barely had control over it. Now, you can control it at another level."

"Pervy Sage showed me when he trained me. Well, the beginning techniques anyway," Naruto replied, "I've worked very hard on it."

Sasuke got up and held out his hand. Naruto took it and with Sasuke's help, he got up.

"Are you hungry?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm starving!" smiled Naruto. Sasuke noticed that he still had hold of Naruto's hand and quickly let go, turning slightly red and hoping that the blond shinobi didn't notice. Naruto took Sasuke's hand back in silent protest. Sasuke leaned into the other shinobi.

"What if someone sees us, Naruto?" the Uchiha whispered.

"Then let them, Sasuke," replied Naruto, "I don't care what they think."

The Jinchuuriki stole a kiss from Sasuke. Sasuke allowed himself to linger, his free hand finding its way to Naruto's waist. Naruto let go of Sasuke's hand and placed his arms around the Uchiha's neck, deepening the kiss in the process.

"I never thought I would ever find myself in a situation like this," breathed Sasuke. Naruto smirked.

"Me neither, you cold, conniving bastard," whispered Naruto, "Imagine all your fangirls' reactions when they hear that I kissed you."

"Meh, like I care," replied Sasuke, shrugging. The Uchiha leaned in and kissed Naruto once more before they let go of one another and left the training grounds, hand in hand.

* * *

Kakashi and Sakura arrived two days later at the border separating the Land of Fire from the Land of Wind. The couple met up with Iruka at the gate.

"Where are Neji and Hinata?" asked Kakashi.

"They are still at the inn," Iruka replied, "Hinata has been feeling ill since our arrival. Neji has been waiting on Sakura to check her out."

Iruka led Kakashi and Sakura to the inn where he and the two Hyuuga shinobi were staying. Iruka led them into the inn and up the staircase to the room where Neji and Hinata were sharing. Sakura knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" yelled a male voice in a calm manner from inside the room.

"Neji," said Sakura, "It's me, Sakura. I'm here with Iruka-sensei and Kakashi."

The medic heard the shuffle of feet from inside before the door opened. Neji looked tired to Sakura. The medic wondered if the Byakugan user had slept since he and the others arrived at the inn.

"I heard that Hinata was not feeling well," Sakura continued, "May I take a look at her?"

Neji moved aside to allow Sakura to enter the small room. Sakura looked back at Kakashi and Iruka.

"We will be in the room next door, Sakura," Iruka said, pointing to his right. When the two men walked away from the door, Neji closed the door behind him and Sakura. The medic saw Hinata sitting in the bed, looking out the window. Sakura knew that something seemed different about the Hyuuga woman. Sakura could not place it however.

The pink haired kunoichi walked over and sat at the edge of Hinata's bed.

"Sakura-chan," whispered Hinata, looking at Sakura.

"How are you feeling?" Sakura asked.

"Better than I was this morning," Hinata replied, "I have not been able to keep anything in my stomach since yesterday evening."

"Is it alright if I check you out, Hinata?" asked Sakura. Hinata flashed a worried look at Neji.

"Remember what I said, Hinata-sama."

Hinata looked at Sakura and sighed.

"Okay," the Hyuuga woman whispered.

"Sounds like we are back to square one," sighed Iruka. Kakashi had just finished explaining everything to Iruka, leaving out one critical part.

"With locating the Akatsuki, yes," Kakashi said, "but I did leave out one minor detail."

"Kakashi!" yelled Iruka, "You of all…"

"Jiraiya located Naruto and Sasuke," interrupted Kakashi. Iruka stared at the jounin.

"Are you pulling my chain, Kakashi?" asked Iruka.

"Ask Sakura if you don't believe me."

"Where are they?"

"Suna," replied Kakashi, "Both of them, together."

Sakura looked at Hinata with wide eyes. The Hyuuga girl lowered her head. Sakura had been checked Hinata's vitals using her chakra when she noticed something strange, the sound of another heartbeat inside Hinata's body. Sakura knew it was one thing and one thing only.

"How long have you known about this, Hinata?" Sakura asked.

"About two months," replied Neji, "One of the clan members from the medical corps confirmed it."

"Two months?" asked Sakura. Suddenly, the pieces were beginning to come together.

"You returned from the front lines two months ago, Neji," said Sakura, "This was the reason why you returned, was it not?"

Neji took a seat near Hinata's bed and nodded.

"Yes, it was, Sakura-san," Neji replied, "I was probably more surprised at the time than you are now."

"Who's the father?" asked Sakura, although she had a good feeling that she already knew the answer to her question, "The last time I understood, Hinata was not seeing anyone since Naruto left the village."

The two Hyuuga fell silent.

"Answer me!" Sakura exclaimed, "Who is the father of this child?"

"Me," Neji replied. Sakura stared at Neji. The Hyuuga man chuckled lightly.

"Hinata-sama is further along than you think, Sakura-san," continued Neji, "by six weeks. That night, I had delivered a scroll from the front lines to the Hokage. She allowed me to stay overnight in the village. I was greeted in my chambers by Hinata-sama and things happened."

Sakura looked to Hinata, then back to Neji.

"I don't think it is safe for Hinata to continue past here, Neji," said Sakura, "Hinata needs to return to the village for proper care. Judging from the time frame that you gave me, Hinata jas barely just started the second trimester."

Hinata gave Sakura a weak smile. Sakura gave the Hyuuga heiress a hug.

"Congratulations, Hinata," whispered Sakura.

* * *

A/N #2: So far, the pairings that we find in this story are Kakashi and Sakura as well as Sasuke and Naruto (the main pairings). We also have Shikamaru and Ino (who are married and divorcing and have a son, Asuma), Shikamaru and Temari (with their daughter, Saya), Chouji and Ino (Ino is pregnant, but we will not find out until later on), and Neji and Hinata (I don't think I need to refresh your memory on Hinata). Kinda weird, I know. I did begin this story in 2008, around the same time I got big into the fandom.


	15. Chapter 14

A/N: I am truly sorry that I have not been updating this story on a regular basis. Life kinda got in the way of things. I just landed my first full time teaching job at the middle school that I student taught at, so I have been working on prepping for the upcoming school year.

A/N #2: Someone asked me what happened to Konohamaru (who was in the prologue chapter). I am planning on writing a short ficlet timestamp about what happened to him, but I will assure you that he is not dead (you will not see him until possibly toward the end).

A/N #3: Don't own, so don't sue.

* * *

**Chapter 14**

"She's what?" exclaimed Iruka. The chuunin, Kakashi, and Sakura were currently in Iruka's room, talking about what had just occurred about half an hour before.

"Hinata's pregnant," replied Sakura, "She is nearly four months along by my estimation."

"Who is the child's father?" asked Kakashi.

"Neji," Sakura answered, "The reason why Neji returned to Konoha early was because he had found out that Hinata was pregnant and that her father wanted him to return as soon as possible. I don't think that Lady Tsunade found out or else Hinata would have never been allowed to go on this mission."

Sakura, who had been standing, sat down on the bed next to the grey headed jounin.

"As a medic, I cannot allow Hinata to continue with this mission," continued the pink haired kunoichi, "It is too dangerous for both her and the child. Someone will have to escort her home."

"There are only two people that would be able to do that," Kakashi said, "Iruka and Neji."

"I could do it as well, Kakashi. I am a trained medic," said Sakura, "It is a much safer route if I was included with either Neji or Iruka-sensei."

Kakashi looked deep in thought.

"If you do that, Iruka will go with you," replied the Sharingan user, "Neji may object to it, but I did tell the Hokage that Iruka would be around you at all times."

"Which obviously did not happen when you two decided to go to Kumo," muttered Iruka under his breath. Kakashi looked at the male chuunin.

"With that matter aside," continued the jounin, "I will have to discuss this with Neji."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Sakura. The kunoichi had a feeling she knew what Kakashi was going to talk to Neji about, but she wanted to make sure just in case her feelings were wrong.

"Another course of action that we can take is to send a missive to the Hyuuga clan and allow them to send a team to escort Hinata back to Konoha. This would allow us to have a four-person cell to continue to Suna," said Kakashi, "I personally like that idea better than breaking apart our group, especially with the Akatsuki out there somewhere on the hunt for Naruto. It would be difficult to take on a couple of S-ranked shinobi at your and Iruka's level, especially if you have Hinata with you."

"That would work much better in my opinion, Kakashi," said Iruka, "The Hyuuga clan have some highly trained shinobi fit for that type of mission. Also, it saves us from backtracking."

"How do you suggest we send the missive, Kakashi?" asked Sakura. She noticed Kakashi smiling from underneath his mask.

"Did you forget by any chance that I have a whole team of summons underneath my belt, Sakura?"

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke returned back to their room later that afternoon.

"Boy, am I tired!" sighed Naruto as he collapsed onto the bed. Sasuke sat down next to the blond shinobi.

"I would too if I ran around bouncing like a little kid," remarked the Uchiha, "Seriously, where do you get all of that energy? I don't know whether I should be jealous or not."

Naruto sat up and just shrugged, causing Sasuke to chuckle slightly. Both shinobi laid back, looking up at the ceiling. Naruto rolled over on his side.

"It's been a long time since we last trained together," whispered the blond shinobi, "I am kinda glad that we got to do it."

"I figured it would be a good opportunity to see each other's improvements," Sasuke replied nonchalantly. The Uchiha looked over at Naruto and sat up. Naruto sat up as well.

"What's wrong, teme?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know," Sasuke replied in a whisper. The Uchiha leaned in and kissed Naruto gently on the blond's lips.

"I have this strange feeling every time we are alone," Sasuke continued, "I don't know how to describe it."

The two shinobi laid back down, Sasuke's arm resting across Naruto's waist.

"How long have you had it?" asked Naruto. Sasuke shrugged.

"A while, I guess," replied the Uchiha, "For the longest time when I was still in Sound, I wanted to return to Konoha just to see you."

"Why didn't you, teme?" exclaimed Naruto. Sasuke slightly shrugged.

"I needed to get stronger so I could defeat both Orochimaru and Itachi," Sasuke said, "Itachi for murdering our clan and Orochimaru for attempting to take over my body."

Naruto's blue eyes widened.

"What?" asked Naruto, "When?"

"Several months ago during a training exercise," Sasuke answered, "He said he wanted the Sharingan in his possession. He failed the first time when he tried taking it from Itachi. I hit him with a well-placed Chidori before fleeing with three other people. I had them return to Sound right around the time you found me. I should be dead if all went according to my plan."

"Do you think you can get rid of the Snake Bastard in your current state?"

Sasuke eyed Naruto questioningly, then sighed.

"Maybe," replied the Uchiha, "He is after all one of the Sannin. You should know from experience that they are tough."

Naruto moved as close as he could to Sasuke.

"I don't know how many times I have said it or will have to say it in the future, but you don't have to go at this alone, Sasuke," said the Jinchuuriki.

Naruto straddled Sasuke at the waist and leaned in, their foreheads touching.

"I want to fight with you, Sasuke. Remember that."

Sasuke lightly smiled, his right hand resting on Naruto's cheek and his left arm around the blond shinobi.

"I may need help after all, as much as I hate to admit it, Naruto."

Sasuke kissed Naruto again, this time deeper than before. When they parted, the Uchiha spoke.

"I want to return to Konoha and train after Kakashi and Sakura arrive here. I want to perfect the Chidori with Kakashi's help."

Naruto smiled widely.

"If you are coming with me, I need you to train as well, Naruto," continued the Uchiha, "No slacking allowed."

"Yes, sir!" Naruto laughed, rolling over onto the bed next to Sasuke. The Uchiha looked at Naruto.

"Can I stay with you for a while? I don't know if I can go to my house until I kill Itachi."

"I guess you can," replied Naruto, "My bed isn't big enough for two people though."

Sasuke kissed Naruto on the cheek.

"I think we will manage somehow, dobe."


	16. Chapter 15

A/N: Yeah, I don't own it. If I did, Sakura would not have married Sasuke. Sorry fangirls!

* * *

**Chapter 15**

Hinata's escorts arrived at the border shortly after sunrise the next morning. Much to Sakura's surprise, they had not one, but two medical kunoichi. They were checking on Hinata's vital signs under Sakura' supervision when Kakashi pulled her aside. The jounin clearly looked flustered from the look in his uncovered eye.

"What's wrong?" asked Sakura.

"The Akatsuki is on the move," replied Kakashi in a voice above a whisper, "Jiraiya just sent me a message through one of his summons."

"Where?" asked the pink haired kunoichi.

"Most likely around Sunagakure," Kakashi replied, "Jiraiya did not know exactly himself, but that is where he presumes."

"Haruno-san!"

Both Sakura and Kakashi looked in the direction of the yell to find the younger of the two medical kunoichi walking toward the pair.

"All of Hinata-sama's vitals are normal, Haruno-san," said the young, dark haired chuunin. She was clearly a Hyuuga with possession of the Byakugan.

"You may depart with her when your team is ready," said Sakura. The chuunin nodded and went back to where Hinata stood with the other medical kunoichi and Neji. Hinata was hugging Neji, the latter kissing her on the forehead before Hinata was led away by the two kunoichi.

"We need to be careful, Sakura, now that the Akatsuki are on the move again," continued Kakashi, "Itachi is possibly one of the strong shinobi in their ranks."

Sakura nodded quietly.

"It is a two day journey from here to Sunagakure if I remember correctly and if the lay of the land hasn't changes. We may be able to do it in a day and a half straight through without breaks," said Kakashi, "and if there are not any sandstorms once we cross the border."

"I know I am capable of doing it, as are Neji and yourself," Sakura replied, "I am worried if Iruka-sensei would be able to do it. He hasn't had a mission like this in a long time."

Kakashi chuckled lightly.

"Iruka is more capable than you think, Sakura," Kakashi replied.

* * *

"Any word on the whereabouts of the Akatsuki?" asked Sasuke. He, Naruto, and Shikamaru were currently in the Kazekage's office with Gaara and his siblings after greeting Team Gai to the village. Shikamaru shook his head in response.

"No word on their whereabout, Uchiha," replied the shadow user, "but I did receive some interesting information concerning Orochimaru."

Sasuke eyed Shikamaru carefully. Naruto could tell from the looks of both Sasuke and Shikamaru's eyes that the two shinobi did not trust one another as much as Naruto would have liked them too.

"Orochimaru left Sound several days before the arrival of Gai's team. He had managed to burn the place to ashes before he left though."

"Did anyone survive?" asked Sasuke. Naruto could tell be the sound of Sasuke's voice that he was slightly concerned.

"No survivors," Shikamaru answered. Sasuke fell silent.

"Gai's team did run into a few people that knew you if that is what you are really wondering," continued Shikamaru, "They managed to escape before the place burned. Gai managed to summon a few ANBU to escort them to Konoha."

"Will they be held captive?" Naruto asked. He surprised both Shikamaru and Sasuke with the question.

"They will be questioned about what they know," replied Shikamaru, "Other than that, I do not know what the Hokage plans on doing with them after that. Since they are not in the bingo book, I highly doubt that they will be taken into custody. The least that could happen is that they will be placed on ANBU watch unless we are given a reason to place them in prison."

Sasuke felt somewhat relieved with what Shikamaru said. All three members of his team were considered lab experiments to Orochimaru. Some people could even say that they could be considered victims, given their past experience with the Snake Sannin. Karin would most likely not be placed on ANBU watch because Sasuke felt it was not necessary to tell her the things that he told the other two members of his team.

"Why would he just up and leave?" Temari asked.

"Various reasons," Shikamaru replied, "Most of those reasons pertain to Konoha. If I remember correctly, he was also responsible for the death of the Fourth Kazekage. Am I correct?"

Temari closed her eyes, unsure of how to respond to Shikamaru's question. Temari opened them when Gaara spoke.

"Yes, he was. It was because of Orochimaru that we attacked Konoha. We did not find out about Orochimaru's role in his death until several months later."

"Sasuke, do you, by any chance, know where Orochimaru would be right now?" Shikamaru asked. Sasuke shook his head.

"No, I don't," replied Sasuke, "Although I feel that he might try to return to the Akatsuki due to his past with them."

Shikamaru sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"What a drag. Back to square one, I guess."

"Not necessarily," someone spoke. Everyone looked around the room for the source of the voice.

"What in the hell?" asked Kankuro. The voice sighed.

"Over here, Puppet Boy."

Everyone looked at the direction of the door and found a small dog wearing a blue shirt and a blue forehead protector sitting in from of the now closed door.

"Pakkun?" asked Naruto, kneeling down next to the nin-dog. The dog looked Naruto over carefully before speaking.

"Naruto, you've gotten taller."

"And you haven't changed one bit, Pakkun."

Pakkun then looked up at Sasuke.

"And Sasuke, you've gotten taller too."

"Enough with the reunion, guys," Shikamaru interrupted, "Now, why are you here, Pakkun?"

The nin-dog looked at the shadow user.

"Kakashi and his team are currently on their way here, Shikamaru, minus one of their team members," Pakkun replied, "Kakashi will explain what happened when he arrives. Unless a sandstorm happens, expect them around midafternoon."

"Did he find out anything concerning the Akatsuki?" asked Shikamaru. Pakkun nodded.

"The Toad Sannin Jiraiya told him that they are on the move. He did not know their exact location though. Jiraiya presumes they are making their way here," Pakkun replied, "The Akatsuki just captured the Eight Tails from Kumogakure recently."

Shikamaru looked from Gaara to Naruto then back to Pakkun.

"Two Jinchuuriki remain," Pakkun continued, "Whatever they have planned, the Akatsuki cannot be allowed to gain control of them."

"No, they can't," muttered Shikamaru. The room fell silent. Naruto looked at Sasuke carefully. The blond could tell that the Uchiha was on edge now that the Akatsuki was on the move again.

"We need to increase our security," Temari said, "If it turns out that they are making their way toward the area, we need to stop them before they attack."

"It's not that easy, Temari," said Sasuke, "The Akatsuki is comprised of S-rank criminals. Itachi Uchiha is a well-known genjutsu user. If anyone would have an idea how to handle the Sharingan, it would be either me or Kakashi."

"Sasuke's right, Temari," Shikamaru replied, "We need to do more than increase patrols in the area. You need to be prepared for whatever threat the Akatsuki can present the village, especially Itachi Uchiha. Sasuke and Kakashi-senpai are the only two shinobi in our village that understands the Sharingan to its fullest extent. I am sure that either of them would be helpful in confronting him."

"But are your shinobi prepared to protect your Jinchuuriki?" asked Temari, "When we came up with our plans to protect the Kazekage in the event of a siege, those plans did not include the presence of another Jinchuuriki. If we are forced to protect Naruto as well, that would spread our shinobi far too thin to be effective, Shikamaru."

Just before Shikamaru could replied to Temari, Sasuke spoke.

"I'll protect Naruto."

Naruto looked at Sasuke with widen eyes, as did Shikamaru.

"How honorable in theory, Uchiha," said Temari, "But are you sure that you are up for the challenge? You are going to need more people than yourself to protect a Jinchuuriki."

"Yes, I am, Temari," replied Sasuke.


	17. Chapter 16

A/N: Characters do not belong to me. I just like to play around with them.

A/N: Four chapters posted in a week. I hope I can post more before I start back to work in early August. After that, life will get in the way. I hope that I can post on a monthly basis after that.

* * *

**Chapter 16**

_I'll protect Naruto._

Those three words rang clearly in Naruto's head as he looked up at the ceiling. He was lying on the bed in his and Sasuke's room alone. Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Temari were out patrolling the surrounding area. Naruto sighed as he sat up and removed his orange and black jacket and plain black t-shirt. The blond shinobi got up and took off his orange pants before laying back down on the bed wearing nothing but his green frog boxers. Naruto sighed once more.

It had been a crazy last couple of weeks. First, he had found Sasuke. Then, the two of them came to Sunagakure. In just the last several days, Naruto and Sasuke had grown closer to one another than ever before. Naruto did not know how to explain it, but he knew he was beginning to have feelings for Sasuke.

"Damn it," muttered the blond shinobi, "Of all the times for this to happen, why now?"

Naruto heard the door open. He turned his head to find Sasuke enter the room, closing the door softly behind him.

"You're still up?" asked Sasuke as he removed his cloak and hung it up. The Uchiha walked over and sat down next to Naruto.

"I couldn't sleep," replied Naruto, "Plus I was thinking about earlier."

"Earlier when I said I would protect you?" Naruto nodded.

"I meant it if that is what you are thinking about," Sasuke whispered as he leaned in and kissed Naruto on the cheek. Naruto sat up, propping himself up on his elbows.

"I've been thinking about something else, Sasuke," Naruto said, "What's going on between me and you?"

"What do you mean?" asked Sasuke.

"You know what I mean, Sasuke," said Naruto, "The touching, the kissing, all that stuff. Things have changed between us, haven't they?"

Sasuke fell quiet for several moments before speaking.

"Yes, they have, Naruto."

Sasuke leaned in and kissed Naruto deeply. When they parted, Sasuke whispered.

"I may be falling in love with you, Naruto."

Naruto stared at Sasuke, unsure about how to respond to the Uchiha.

"Naruto? Are you alright?"

Naruto snapped from his trance.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Sasuke."

"Good," Sasuke replied, "You have me worried there for a moment."

"Can you repeat what you said?"

"I said I was worried about you, dobe!"

"Not that, teme!" exclaimed Naruto, "The other thing." Naruto then lowered his voice.

"About you falling in love with me."

Sasuke moved closer to the blond shinobi, placing his arms protectively around Naruto. Naruto laid back down and Sasuke rested his head on Naruto's chest.

"I think I am falling for you, Naruto," Sasuke replied, "I cannot get you out of my thoughts, no matter how hard I try."

Naruto ran his fingers through Sasuke's hair, his hand resting on top of the other shinobi's arm.

"And all this time, I thought I would be the one to make the first confession," said Naruto. Sasuke looked up at Naruto, who smiled widely.

"Yeah, I like you too, Sasuke," continued the Jinchuuriki, "and more than a best friend. I guess I am falling for you too, teme."

Sasuke kissed Naruto lightly on the lips.

"Hey, does this make us, you know, secret lovers or something?" Naruto asked.

"If that is what you want, dobe," replied Sasuke, "I would not use the word 'secret' though. Someone will eventually find out about us."

"I'm the future Hokage, Sasuke!" smiled Naruto, "That will be the least of my worries!"

* * *

Kakashi and the rest of his team stopped to take a short break in the shade of a nearby rock cliff. From a short distance, Neji examined the landscape with his Byakugan.

"Any unknown shinobi, Neji?" asked Kakashi as Neji walked back to the rest of the group.

"Nobody else but Sand shinobi scouting the area," replied Neji, taking a drink from his canteen.

"At this rate, we should be there by early evening," Kakashi said, "As long as we do not encounter and sandstorms that is."

"Sandstorms are rare this time of the year, Senpai," replied Neji, "Shikamaru told me a few years back when we went on a mission to Sunagakure. We should be clear the rest of the way there."

"What are we going to do when we arrive in the Sand Village, Kakashi?" asked Iruka.

"Meet up with the Kazekage first," answered Kakashi, "Neji needs to return to Konoha tomorrow morning, as ordered by the head of the Hyuuga clan, which leaves the three of us."

"We also have two other teams in Suna, Kakashi," Iruka said, "Surely we do not need all of them in there for an extended period of time."

"I will send word to the Hokage in the morning with news of our search. I am sure she will request the majority of us back to Konoha, seeing as we are short on capable shinobi there," said Kakashi. The grey-haired jounin rose to his feet.

"Is everyone ready?"

Neji, Iruka, and Sakura all nodded in response. Without saying another word, the four-person cell continued toward Suna.

* * *

Naruto woke up to the sound of knocking on the door. The blond wrestled himself from his lover's grasp and put on his pants before walking over to the door and opening it. Shikamaru stood in the hallway and yawned.

"Hey Naruto, is Sasuke in there?" asked the shadow using shinobi.

"Yeah," Naruto replied, "Want me to wake him up?"

"Nah, not really," said Shikamaru, "I'll tell you and you can wake him up. Kakashi's team just arrived. They are reporting to Gaara as we speak."

Naruto's eyes lit up.

"Kakashi-sensei's here!" the blond exclaimed.

"Will you pipe it down, dobe!" yelled Sasuke, "I am trying to sleep!"

"Thanks, Shikamaru," Naruto replied. Shikamaru nodded in acknowledgement before continuing back down the corridor. Naruto closed the door and walked over to the bed.

"Hey, Sasuke! Wake up!" yelled Naruto. Sasuke rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling.

"What is it, dobe?" asked Sasuke.

"Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan are here!" Naruto said excitedly, "They're here in Suna!"

Sasuke sat up and stretched, the covers slipping just below his waist. Naruto noticed the thin strip of dark hair at the edge of the blanket.

"Looks like I will not be sleeping anymore tonight," yawned the Uchiha as he got up. Naruto tried not to let his eyes wander down below Sasuke's waist. The blond shinobi remembered that Sasuke was still fully clothed when Naruto dozed off. Sasuke must have undressed before he fell asleep. Naruto felt a hand touch his cheek.

"I know what you are looking at," Sasuke whispered into Naruto's ear, "You will get it sometime later."

Naruto lightly gulped. Sasuke chuckled as he retrieved his clothing and put it on.

"I wonder if Kakashi brought some clothes with him," said the Uchiha, "I want to dress like a normal shinobi again."

Naruto grabbed his t-shirt and put it on.

"Same here." Sasuke glared at Naruto.

"You look normal to me," said the Uchiha.

"I was talking about you, teme," Naruto replied, "You're starting to look like the Snake Bastard's clone. It's scary."

Sasuke and Naruto left the room after they dressed and walked down the corridor toward the Kazekage's office.

"Do not remind me," replied Sasuke, "I have an agenda to settle with him."

The couple argued between one another until they arrived to their destination. They found Sakura and Kakashi speaking with Temari and Shikamaru outside Gaara's office.

"Kakashi-sensei! Sakura-chan!" yelled Naruto as he ran to them. Both Sakura and Kakashi turned to find Naruto dashing toward them, Sasuke walking behind him.

"Naruto!" exclaimed Sakura, running toward the blond shinobi, "Sasuke!"

Sakura hugged Naruto tightly.

"I have missed you so much!" said Sakura. The kunoichi let go of Naruto and hugged Sasuke. Kakashi walked over to his former students. Sakura let go of Sasuke.

"My, my, you two are nearly as tall as me," said Kakashi, "How old are you again?"

"Kakashi-sensei! We're the same age as Sakura-chan!" exclaimed Naruto. Sakura giggled and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"What?" asked Naruto as he looked at Sasuke and Sakura.

"I am 20, Naruto," Sakura replied, "I have been since spring."

"I just turned 20 before you found me," said Sasuke.

Naruto was at a loss for words. He was still 19 and would be for another few months.

"Enough with the age arguments, you three. It is making me feel old," said Kakashi. Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke looked at the grey-haired jounin.

"I see that fate has brought us back together after all these years," said Kakashi, "It impresses me."

"Kakashi-sensei, you sound like Neji," said Naruto. Kakashi laughed lightly.

"Maybe I do," the grey-haired jounin replied, "But that is beside the point."

"Beside the point?" Sakura asked. Kakashi nodded.

"I do not know exactly how much you three know about what has been going on lately, but the Akatsuki is after Naruto and Gaara," continued Kakashi, "The Sand Village is prepared to protect the Kazekage. When Sasuke arrived with Naruto, it caught everyone off guard. The Sand is not prepared for an onslaught involving two Jinchuuriki if it happens. It only means one thing."

"Which is?" Sasuke asked.

"Naruto has to return to Konoha until further notice," Kakashi replied, "There, we can be certain that the Akatsuki will not get to him."

"But what about Itachi?" yelled Sasuke, "What about my revenge on what he did to my family?"

Kakashi's uncovered eye moved to the Uchiha.

"Do you think you can beat Itachi?" asked Kakashi. Sasuke looked at Kakashi, never saying a word. The jounin walked until he stood directly face to face with his former genin student.

"You may have gotten stronger, Sasuke, but I am positive that Itachi has as well."

Kakashi and Sasuke glared at one another for several brief moments before the jounin spoke again, this time to all three of his former students collectively.

"I am going to send word to the Hokage and await her response on what she want done with the situation."

Kakashi walked away without saying another word to the trio.

"I am going back to bed," muttered Sasuke as he walked away from Naruto and Sakura. Once he was out of sight, Naruto sighed.

"Want to go on a walk, Sakura-chan?" asked the blond shinobi. Sakura nodded and together she and Naruto left the area.


	18. Chapter 17

A/N: Don't own so don't sue. I don't have a lot to my name at the moment.

* * *

**Chapter 17**

"I don't know what Sasuke's problem is," said Naruto as he and Sakura made their way down the street, "He hasn't acted like this before."

"I figure what Kakashi said to him struck a nerve, but he is right," replied Sakura, "While Sasuke was training, Itachi himself could have as well."

Naruto stopped as did Sakura.

"You think?" Naruto asked.

"It is highly likely, Naruto," said the pink-haired kunoichi, "Itachi is a S-ranked missing-nin. Kakashi would not lie, would he?"

"No, he wouldn't, Sakura-chan."

Naruto and Sakura continued to walk.

"What have I missed since I left?" Naruto asked.

"A lot, actually," Sakura replied, "Ino and Shikamaru have a son together. She is divorcing him after being married to him for three years. She did not tell me why though. Hinata is pregnant. She was on our team for the mission but had to return to the village. Neji is supposed to return tomorrow and he and Hinata are supposed to get married."

"Huh? Are you serious?" asked Naruto. Sakura nodded.

"Wow. Anything else new?"

"Well…" began Sakura.

"Tell me, Sakura-chan!" exclaimed Naruto.

"I have been seeing Kakashi."

Naruto stared at the pink-haired kunoichi.

"What? Are you freaking serious, Sakura-chan?" Sakura and Naruto stopped once more.

"Yes I am, Naruto," replied the medic-nin, "I love him."

Naruto flashed Sakura a wry smile.

"I'm happy for you, Sakura-chan," he said, "Did you happen to train while Kakashi-sensei stole your heart?"

"Yes, I did," Sakura answered, "Lady Tsunade trained me herself actually. I am a medical kunoichi now."

The pair turned around and began to walk back toward the Kazekage's Mansion.

"What is new in your life, Naruto?" Sakura asked. Naruto just shrugged.

"Nothing new really," the blond shinobi replied, "Training." Silence fell between the two ninja.

"We went to Whirlpool, or what used to be Whirlpool before we came here," whispered Sakura, "We found out why you were there." Naruto looked down at his feet, sighing heavily.

"Leave it to Kakashi-sensei to do that," replied Naruto softly. Sakura put her arm around Naruto's neck.

"Do you find what you were looking for while you were there, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah," Naruto replied solemnly, "I found out that one of my mom's former teammates didn't betray my mom like I once heard."

Minako did not betray Kushina Uzumaki? If he didn't, then who did?

"Then who did it?" asked Sakura. The Jinchuuriki looked up at his friend.

"He didn't give me an exact name, only a small description," Naruto replied, "He said that the man had red eyes."

Red eyes? Then it hit Sakura.

The Sharingan…

"He must have had the same eyes as Sasuke and Kakashi," said Sakura, "The Sharingan."

"The Sharingan?" asked Naruto, "You mean that the man that murdered my mom was an Uchiha like Sasuke?"

"Has to be, Naruto," said Sakura, "There is only one known person that has the Sharingan that isn't an Uchiha, and that is Kakashi. The Uchiha clan was still alive when she died. The chances that one of them did it is very high."

* * *

"So it wasn't Toshi Minako that murdered Kushina?" Kakashi asked. The jounin and Sakura were in their room laying on the bed and talking.

"Naruto said that Minako himself told him that the person who killed Kushina possessed red eyes. It is obvious that whoever they were has the Sharingan," said Sakura, looking up at Kakashi, her chin resting on the jounin's chest.

"Very likely," said Kakashi, "although we do have a problem."

"What do you mean we have a problem?"

"The entire Uchiha clan was accounted for that night," Kakashi answered, "They were either fighting the Kyuubi or they were protecting the village. We knew where each and every one of them were that night."

"Would there be any possibility that maybe one of them left at any given moment and eventually killed Naruto's mother?"

"No," replied Kakashi, "The Uchiha clan was on constant surveillance at all times around that time. The village was afraid that they would start a civil war after the way the First Hokage treated their founder, Madara Uchiha."

"Now I am lost, Kakashi."

"It is a long story in reality, Sakura. I do not think even Sasuke knows the true extent behind it, which is interesting because he is an Uchiha and a direct descendant to Madara Uchiha."

Sakura sighed heavily, her head spinning with the information that she had in her head.

"Every time we get somewhere, it seems like we find something else that makes things more confusing," Sakura said. The couple sat up.

"I am so confused about everything," the kunoichi continued, "Now this comes up. Will we ever find closure to it?"

"Who know, Sakura," said the jounin as he kissed Sakura on the top of her head.

* * *

Kakashi woke up the next morning to the sound of a light rapping on the window. The jounin looked to find none other than Jiraiya standing on the wide ledge outside the window. Kakashi wiggled from Sakura's grasp, got up, and walked to the window to open it.

"I thought you were in Kumogakure," said Kakashi, stepping out onto the ledge. He shut the window behind him.

"I came to check up on Naruto," replied the Toad Sannin, "I thought I would stop by to see if you found out anything new."

"Actually, Sakura did," the grey-haired jounin replied. Jiraiya sat down as did Kakashi.

"What did that little woman of yours find out?"

"Minako did not kill Kushina, but he knew who did…well, sort of," Kakashi answered, "Whoever did it possessed the Sharingan."

"Hmm, you don't say," said Jiraiya, "So in other words, the culprit was an Uchiha?" Kakashi nodded in reply.

"That rules out just about everyone from that clan. Were they not still under watch at the time the Kyuubi attacked the village?"

"Yes, they were," said Kakashi, "Minato-sensei kept them under watch due the Third's recommendation. He had planned on lifting it when the Kyuubi attacked. This information does pose another question. Who could have done it if every active shinobi from the clan was accounted for that night?"

"Someone with considerable power," replied the Sannin, "The Kyuubi is a difficult thing to control and is considered the most difficult of all the tailed beasts. The only one I can think of with the power to control the Kyuubi is Madara Uchiha, the co-founder of our village and the founder of the Uchiha clan."

Madara Uchiha…there was that name again.

"What happened to Madara Uchiha, Jiraiya?" asked Kakashi. The Sannin sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"He disappeared years ago after his battle with the First Hokage. Nobody knows where he went after his defeat," Jiraiya answered, "In reality, he should have died years ago before Minato sealed the Kyuubi into Naruto, unless…"

Kakashi looked at Jiraiya with his uncovered eye.

"Unless what?"

"I know it is a farfetched idea, but he may have used some sort of forbidden jutsu to extend his life," said Jiraiya, "Madara Uchiha was an extremely powerful shinobi in his day and was at the same level as the First Hokage. I wouldn't put it past him to pull a stunt like that."

"Any idea what sort of jutsu he would have used?"

Jiraiya shook his head and spoke, "Hard to tell. I may have to return to Konoha to do some research on the subject. If I remember correctly, I believe that Orochimaru kept some records of forbidden jutsu somewhere before he deflected. Tsunade may know where they are. What truly happened that night is tightly guarded by a select few. I may be able to uncover something with some difficulty and with Tsunade's help."

The Toad Sannin rose to his feet, as did Kakashi.

"Are you returning to Konoha anytime soon, Kakashi?"

"Most likely," replied the Sharingan user, "I sent word back to the Hokage that we found Naruto and Sasuke. She may want us back within the next week."

"Good. The Akatsuki is tricky business, even for myself," Jiraiya remarked, "Naruto and that Uchiha boy in some ways are better off in Konoha for a while until we are able to gauge their abilities."

"Sasuke does not think that though," said Kakashi, "He thinks he can kill Itachi at his current level."

Jiraiya chuckled, "Maybe he can, but most likely no. Itachi Uchiha is one person I don't even wish to mess with. That is only because I have poor genjutsu skills. My only opinion is to test him to see if he is capable. You are the closest person he has to Itachi, given your Sharingan."

Kakashi watched as Jiraiya began to walk away.

"I am going to Konoha to see what I can find out about that night. I will tell you what I find out when you return," said Jiraiya. When the Sannin left, Kakashi returned to his and Sakura's room to find Pakkun sitting on the foot of the bed, a scroll in his mouth. Sakura was still asleep. Kakashi walked across the room and took the scroll from Pakkun.

"Orders from the Fifth Hokage, Kakashi," Pakkun said. The jounin undid the scroll and read it. After reading it, Kakashi rolled the scroll back up.

"We will leave tomorrow morning, Pakkun."


	19. Chapter 18

A/N: Characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, not me. I am just borrowing them for this story.

* * *

**Chapter 18**

Kakashi was sitting at a small desk in his and Sakura's room, thinking over the information that he collected over the course of their mission when he heard stirring coming from the bed. The jounin turned around and saw Sakura sitting up. Kakashi got up and walked over to the bed, greeting Sakura with a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning," the jounin said.

"Good morning, Kakashi," replied Sakura. The pink-haired medic stretched. She noticed a scroll at the foot of the bed.

"What's that?" asked Sakura.

"A message from the Hokage," replied Kakashi, "She wants us back as soon as possible."

"Everyone or just a few of us?" Sakura asked.

"Just you, me, Naruto, Sasuke, and Iruka. She wants Shikamaru and his squad to stay here for a while."

"Are we leaving today?" asked Sakura as she got out of bed. The kunoichi retrieved her clothes and began to put them on. Kakashi shook his head.

"Gai's team can if they want to, as can Iruka," Kakashi replied, "We can wait until morning."

"Good, I am tired from the trip here plus this will be an excellent day to wander about Sunagakure with nothing in mind," Sakura said, smiling, "You, me, Sasuke, and Naruto. How about it, Kakashi?"

"I guess we can if that is what you want to do," the jounin spoke.

About half an hour later, Kakashi and Sakura found themselves walking down the main street toward the training grounds. Earlier, the couple had ran into Shikamaru and Temari on their way toward Sasuke and Naruto's room. Temari had told them that the boys had left already to train. Once Kakashi and Sakura arrived to the training grounds, they found Naruto and Sasuke sparring. They watched in complete silence until Sasuke noticed them. The Uchiha barely dodged a kick from Naruto when he too noticed Kakashi and Sakura.

"What are you doing here?" asked Naruto. Kakashi and Sakura walked toward Sasuke and Naruto.

"We were just looking for you, that is all," Kakashi answered, smiling underneath his mask, " I just got word this morning from the Hokage that she wants us to return to the village as soon as possible."

"Grandma Tsunade's still Hokage?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, Naruto. She is still Hokage," said Sakura, "Have you been living under a rock all this time?"

Sasuke chuckled slightly and Naruto glared at him.

"When are we leaving, Kakashi?" asked the Uchiha.

"You mean you are actually coming with us?" the jounin asked, clearly amused.

"I promised Naruto that I would return to Konoha, if only for a short while. I have things I need to do, Kakashi."

"Is that so?" the older Sharingan user asked, "I plan on leaving tomorrow, hopefully mid-morning at the latest. As of now, the Akatsuki has not been spotted in the area, so Naruto should be safe to travel for now. Gai's team, plus Neji and Iruka, have already left which means that it will only be the four of us travelling."

"Just the four of us?" grinned the blond shinobi, "Just like old times!"

"Do not get too excited, dobe."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke, causing Sakura to giggle.

Naruto is right, thought the jounin, just like the old days of Team Seven.

"Calm down, everyone."

The three young adults all looked at Kakashi.

"The three of you have all grown since we were together last," continued the grey-haired jounin, "Just how much, I do not exactly know, save Sakura."

"Sakura?" asked Naruto. The pink-haired kunoichi nodded.

"I was rather impressed with Sakura," Kakashi said, "She has learned well from the Hokage."

Both boys looked at their former genin teammate, who was grinning from ear to ear. Sasuke then looked at the jounin with a glare.

"You don't look too happy, Sasuke. Did I hit a nerve?" asked Kakashi. Sasuke darted toward Kakashi at full speed, only to find himself blocked by Naruto. Kakashi placed himself in front of Sakura, unsure of whether Sasuke was aiming for himself or the medic-nin.

"Sasuke! What in the hell is your problem?" hissed Naruto.

"I want to fight you, Kakashi!" yelled Sasuke, "I want to show you firsthand that I am capable of killing Itachi!"

Sasuke tried to get past Naruto, but he was unsuccessful. Finally, the Uchiha gave up, still glaring at his former sensei. Sakura slightly moved, peeking around Kakashi.

"You will get your chance to fight me, the both of you," said Kakashi as he put his hands in his pants pockets, "Once we return to Konoha that is. I don't feel like destroying the Sand Village at the present moment."

"Is that a promise, Kakashi?" Sasuke asked. Kakashi nodded.

"You and Naruto against Sakura and myself."

Sasuke smirked, "Good. Bring it on."

"Now that we have that settled," said Kakashi, "Meet us at the gate at seven tomorrow morning."

* * *

"We're what?" exclaimed Naruto.

"We are taking our time to return to the village," said Kakashi, "The Akatsuki have not been spotted in the area, plus it will give us some time to come up with a plan of action in case they do appear."

Naruto, in Kakashi's opinion, looked like it was the end of the world.

"Naruto, even at a good pace, it is a four day journey from here to Konoha," said Kakashi, "Another day or two will not hurt you." Naruto groaned outwardly. The four-person squad began their journey to Konoha after saying their goodbyes to the remaining shinobi from their village plus Shikamaru, Temari, and Saya. The group travelled with occasional stops until nightfall. They decided to stop for the evening halfway between Suna and the border separating the Land of Wind from the Land of Fire.

"We are going to do lookout duty in pairs for two-hour intervals starting with myself and Sasuke," said Kakashi once his team settled for the evening, "After our shift is over, it will be Sakura and Naruto's turn."

"How come I can't have a shift with Sasuke?" whined Naruto. Kakashi did not respond, his reasons for keeping an eye on Sasuke were none of Naruto's concern at that moment. The blond Jinchuuriki continued to whine until Sasuke threw a glare at him, shutting Naruto up almost immediately.

"Naruto, it is only for one night," Sakura said, "Besides, you were with him for nearly three weeks! I am sure Kakashi would like to speak to him for a change."

"Wisely said, Sakura," Kakashi replied. Naruto heaved a sigh as he rolled over in his sleeping bag, his back toward the campfire and everyone else.

"Let's go, Kakashi," muttered Sasuke. Kakashi nodded as he and Sasuke sped away.

* * *

"How long, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked out of the blue. The jounin and the former missing-nin were halfway over with their shift when they returned to a soundly sleeping Sakura and a loudly snoring Naruto. Sasuke looked up from the fire at the masked jounin.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked Kakashi.

"How long are you going to keep us in the dark about what is going on between you and Naruto?" asked Kakashi. Sasuke looked back at the dancing orange and yellow flames.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Kakashi," muttered the Uchiha.

"I am calling your bluff, Sasuke. You know exactly what I am talking about. You said that you were not going to return to Konoha until you killed Itachi, but here you are returning to the village and Itachi still alive."

Sasuke glared at the older shinobi as the jounin continued to speak.

"The only person that could have attempted to persuade you would be Naruto. Now, please tell me, Sasuke. What is going on between the two of you?"

"Before I choose to answer that, Kakashi, you tell me something," replied Sasuke, "What is going on between yourself and Sakura?"

Kakashi's uncovered eye widened. Sasuke chuckled.

"Naruto told me that you and Sakura have been seeing one another but she did not tell him any more past that," said Sasuke, "I want to know how serious it is between you two."

"So, you actually do care about Sakura," replied Kakashi with a bite of sarcasm.

"Nothing more than a teammate, Kakashi. She is nearly a sister to Naruto," said Sasuke, "I understand his concern."

"I can understand where you are trying to get at, but would it be better for me to discuss this with Naruto as well?" Kakashi asked.

"Probably," Sasuke replied. Both shinobi fell silent.

"I have sworn to protect Naruto with my life."

Kakashi, who had been watching the flames dancing across the logs, looked at the Uchiha heir, their eyes meeting.

"I swore to Naruto I would protect him no matter what, even if it costs me my life," continued Sasuke, "He is the only one I can consider a true friend, having chased after me for the last several years."

Sasuke went quiet for several moments before speaking once more.

"It is the least I can do for him after he did that," whispered the Sharingan wielder, "That is why I am returning to the village, if only for his sake."

Sasuke looked to a sleeping Naruto then back to Kakashi.

"I know I will not be welcomed back with open arms like he will, Kakashi, and frankly, I could not give a damn personally about it. If you are wondering whether I am going to break my work, stop. I do not plan on betraying the man I have grown to care about the last six years."

_So that is their relationship_, thought Kakashi, _it makes perfect sense._

"Does Sakura know about you and Naruto?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke shrugged.

"I could not care less either way," replied Sasuke.

_He is beginning to act like his old self_, thought the jounin as he smiled lightly from underneath his mask.


	20. Chapter 19

A/N: Not mine. End of story.

A/N #2: Including the prologue, this is the 20th chapter of this story. It has taken 225 handwritten pages to make it this far, including omitted scenes. In those omitted scenes, I made Sakura pregnant, but I decided to change it because I need another badass kunoichi alongside Temari. I had to make some adjustments to accommodate that change. I hope you are enjoying this story. It is by far the longest one that I have posted on this site. I also have several other multichapter works I need to post and plan on posting them sometime. Thanks to everyone that is following, has favorited, or has posted reviews to this story! Much love, you guys!

* * *

**Chapter 19**

Kakashi sat in front of the fire, halfway through the last shift of the night. Sasuke was still asleep, Naruto curled up in a ball beside the Uchiha. The jounin had decided to let his three former students sleep as he watched over them. Being alone with quiet surroundings gave Kakashi time to think.

"Kakashi?"

The grey-haired jounin looked to his right to find Sakura walking toward him.

"Sakura, what are you doing up?" asked Kakashi as the kunoichi sat down beside him.

"I couldn't sleep," whispered Sakura, resting her head on Kakashi's shoulder. Kakashi placed his arm around Sakura, resting his head on top of hers.

"I have been thinking," said Sakura, "Even though we haven't been together for very long, I want to get married when we return to the village."

"Why?" Kakashi asked.

"We don't know the next time one of us will be sent to the front lines or if we will ever come back, especially with what has been going on the last few years," said Sakura, "I don't want to wait any longer. This is something I think we should do before it is too late. I would rather die a widow and knowing my husband fought bravely in some war than knowing I will never marry the love of my life after a war."

"Are you sure that this is what you want, Sakura?" Kakashi asked once again, "You are still young. I can wait as long as you need to get married."

"This is what I want, Kakashi," said Sakura, kissing Kakashi on the tip of his nose, "It doesn't have to be elaborate. Just a small wedding with my parents, Sasuke and Naruto, and a few other friends. Something simple."

"What about the Hokage? I don't think she would approve of you getting married at your age. She is not particularly fond of me past the fact that I am an excellent shinobi."

"I don't care, Kakashi Hatake. This is me, not her. I am 20 years old and a grown woman. I want to be your wife as well as the mother of your future children," Sakura said, "I refuse to grow up to be an old single hag like her."

Kakashi chuckled and hugged Sakura.

"How about a week from the day we return to the village, Sakura?" asked Kakashi, "That should give everyone a bit of time to adjust to returning, especially Naruto and Sasuke."

"I am going to hold you to that, Kakashi," smiled the pink-haired kunoichi as she hugged Kakashi.

* * *

Kakashi and the others made it to Konoha one day ahead of schedule. As the four-person squad entered the village, Naruto stopped and looked around.

"This place hasn't changed the slightest," smiled Naruto. Sasuke stopped as well, looking around. As usual, the Uchiha was silent.

"Are you going to say something, teme?" asked Naruto. Sasuke looked at the other shinobi. Without answering Naruto, Sasuke walked on past the rest of the group and toward the direction of Hokage Tower.

"Sasuke, wait up!" shouted Naruto, running at full speed to catch up with the Uchiha. Kakashi and Sakura began walking again.

"Do you think Sasuke is regretting coming back to the village?" Sakura asked, clearly concerned.

"A bit," replied Kakashi, "In my opinion, it is best if both he and Naruto stay put here for a while."

"Neither of them are going to like that too well," said Sakura. Kakashi nodded.

"I know."

Twenty minutes later, the former Team Seven found themselves outside Hokage Tower. Sasuke looked over the building carefully.

"It hasn't changed!" shouted Naruto, smiling gleefully, "I wonder if Granny Tsunade is still a moody old drunk lady!"

Probably more so now than ever, Kakashi thought as he walked past Naruto and Sasuke. Sakura followed the jounin. The couple walked a little ways before Kakashi turned around to the two younger shinobi.

"Are you two going to stand there or are you coming?" asked the silver-haired man. Naruto jumped slightly and ran whereas Sasuke smirked and followed at his usual pace. The former genin Team Seven entered the tower and made their way up the stairs, receiving several strange glances (most likely aimed at Sasuke) from several visitors to the tower. The glances, however, did not seem to bother Sasuke like they did Naruto, as Kakashi could see. The jounin, afraid that Naruto would make an unnecessary scene, placed a hand on the blond's shoulder and spoke softly into the younger shinobi's ear.

"Calm down, Naruto. It has been years since you and Sasuke were here."

Naruto sighed heavily. The four-person squad continued up the stairs and down the corridor toward Tsunade's office. Once they arrived, Kakashi knocked on the door.

"Come in!" shouted a woman from the other side of the door. Kakashi opened the door and entered, followed by Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto. Tsunade looked up from her massive stack of paperwork and stared at them in surprise. She slowly rose to her feet.

"We're back, Granny!" grinned Naruto from ear to ear, "Did you miss me?"

"It took you long enough," said Tsunade as she looked over the four ninja. Naruto's eyes narrowed and he spoke.

"It only took us three days, Granny! We sort of rushed to get back here, you know!"

"I wasn't talking about that, brat!" shouted Tsunade, "I was talking about just up and disappearing without even a single word! I could have gotten yourself killed, all because of that damn Kyuubi in you!"

"The concern is touching, Granny, but I'm here and I'm alive now!" Naruto shouted back, "What kind of greeting is that? It's a crappy one, that's for sure!"

"Naruto! Shut up already!" exclaimed Sakura, hitting the Jinchuuriki hard on top of the head.

"Ouch! What was that for, Sakura-chan?"

"For being an idiot! I thought you changed, but I guess you didn't change too much!"

Kakashi shook his head in exasperation and Sasuke looked away from the argument between Naruto and Sakura.

"Quiet the two of you!" screamed Tsunade. The four-man squad looked at the Hokage, Sakura's hand still around Naruto's throat. The Hokage sighed heavily.

"I don't have time to deal with you at the moment," said Tsunade, pointing at her paperwork, "Come back tomorrow afternoon and we will talk about the mission."

Naruto stuck his tongue at Tsunade and received a punch in the stomach from Sakura.

* * *

After Naruto and Sasuke left, Kakashi and Sakura began walking down the street toward Sakura's apartment.

"When do you plan on telling the Hokage?" asked Kakashi. Sakura looked at the older man.

"Probably the day after tomorrow," replied Sakura, "I want to make sure that Naruto is not around to make an issue of the whole situation. After earlier, I don't know if I want him at our wedding. Sasuke can come though."

"Do you want me to stay when you tell her or do you think it would be wise to go before then?"

"It may be wise to let me tell her by myself," replied Sakura, "She will less likely to murder me than you, me being one of her best medics after all."

"I have a feeling that tomorrow, the Hokage is going to tell Naruto and Sasuke that they will not take part in any more missions until further notice," Kakashi said.

"How do you think they will take it?"

"They are going to hate it," replied the jounin, "Despite that, it is for their best interest. We do not know when or where the Akatsuki is going to strike. They can use more training, even if to vent out their frustrations."

Before long, the couple arrived at Sakura's apartment.

"We can meet up before we meet the Hokage tomorrow afternoon," said Sakura, "I want to visit Hinata sometime."

"I will probably try to train with Sasuke and Naruto before then," said Kakashi, "I want to see what those two have been doing since they left the village. I may be able to convince the Hokage to change her mind."

"I highly doubt you will change her mind, but she may shorten the 'sentence'," said Sakura. Kakashi pulled his mask down and placed a gentle kiss on Sakura's cheek.

"I love you, Sakura," whispered Kakashi, "Remember, one week from today, we will get married."

"I love you too, Kakashi," Sakura whispered back, "and I will remember."


	21. Chapter 20

A/N: All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I am just borrowing them for non-profit purposes.

* * *

**Chapter 20**

Sakura and Ino were escorted through the Hyuuga compound by Neji and Hinata's younger sister Hanabi toward Hinata's chambers. Ever since Hinata's return to Konoha, the Hyuuga clan heiress had been placed on bedrest by both the Hokage and Hinata's father. After a few minutes, the four shinobi arrived to the chambers. Hanabi bowed slightly before Sakura and Ino.

"I will be in the courtyard training if you need anything, Haruno-san."

After Hanabi departed, Neji knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

Neji opened the door and let Sakura and Ino enter and followed the two women inside. Sitting up in her bed, reading scrolls, was Hinata. The heiress looked up and smiled lightly at the sight of Sakura and Ino.

"Sakura-chan, Ino-chan," spoke Hinata. Ino walked over to Hinata's bed and sat at the foot of it. Sakura stood beside Ino.

"How are you feeling, Hinata?" asked Sakura.

"Fine," replied Hinata. Sakura noticed that Hinata's stomach was protruding out slightly, showing that Hinata was most likely further along than Sakura thought previously.

"How much longer before you are off bedrest?" Ino asked.

"Another week or so. Father wants me to wait longer, but Lady Hokage said I should be able to return to my normal activities with some limitations," replied Hinata, "Neji and myself should be getting married after things get back to normal around the compound, probably in a month or so."

"Boy or girl?" smiled Ino widely. Hinata shrugged what Sakura thought was in an almost elegant fashion.

"I do not know yet. Shizune will check next week once I am off bedrest."

Ino got up, standing beside the pink-haired medic-nin.

"We have to get going, Hinata," said the blonde florist and former kunoichi, "Once you are off bedrest, come see me at the shop. I can definitely find some really easy work for you doing some bouquets."

"Okay," said Hinata with a smile on her face. After the young women said their farewells, Neji escorted them to the gate. Before Ino and Sakura left, Neji spoke to them.

"Our wedding will be a private affair. You two will be invited as well as the other, including Naruto and Sasuke."

"Thank you, Neji," Sakura said. Both she and Ino left through the gate. Before the two of them parted ways, Ino spoke.

* * *

Kakashi met Jiraiya early the next morning in front of Ichiraku before heading to the training grounds. The Toad Sannin had sent one of his toads late the night before asking Kakashi to meet with him.

"Kakashi," Jiraiya said as the silver-haired jounin approached him.

"Jiraiya," replied Kakashi. The two shinobi began walking down the street toward the training grounds.

"I have been researching that thing we discussed in Suna."

"Any luck?"

"Nothing so far that we did not already now, Kakashi," Jiraiya answered, "The Uchiha clan was practically confined to the village around the time the Kyuubi attacked, except for a few from the police force. Those few were helping with the attack itself. Minato allowed them to leave on missions, but only several squads at a time."

Jiraiya pulled out a scroll from his yukata and handed it to the jounin.

"Prior to the attack, Fugaku Uchiha reported one of the clan members missing while on a mission. They never located him."

Kakashi unrolled the scroll and looked it over before rolling it back up.

"Obito's elder brother," whispered Kakashi, handing the scroll back to the Sannin.

"They found his body about half a kilometer away from where the Kyuubi was released from Kushina. He had been missing and presumed dead about a year earlier."

"How did it get there is my concern."

Kakashi and Jiraiya continued to walk until the older shinobi led Kakashi to an older part of town. Kakashi recognized it as the old Uchiha district.

"Why are we here?" asked the jounin.

"To find out what truly happened to Madara Uchiha, Kakashi."

* * *

"Sakura?"

"Yeah, Ino?"

"Remember when I told you on the way to Hinata's that I had something to tell you?"

Sakura nodded. The blonde woman sighed heavily.

"Before you left for your mission, I told you that Shikamaru and me were getting a divorce," said Ino, "We decided that the divorce is for the best. He told me before we got married that he had a daughter with Temari.

"We never loved each other from the beginning. Shikamaru loved Temari and I loved someone else. It was only a marriage of convenience, nothing more than that. Our divorce is a mutual decision."

Sakura fell quiet, then spoke, "Who do you love?"

"Chouji," Ino lightly smiled, "He was by my side when Shikamaru was on his missions. He hates that Shikamaru is his best friend and feels like he took me away from Shikamaru. Shikamaru assured Chouji that I was better off with him than being unhappily married to Shikamaru."

"What about Asuma? Will he stay with you?" asked Sakura. Ino nodded.

"He will stay with me most of the time. Since I am no longer a kunoichi, it will be better since Shikamaru will still have mission. If Temari and her daughter decide to move from Suna to Konoha, I will not object to sharing custody of Asuma. I don't want my son to not think his father doesn't love him just because I don't let him see him."

Sakura gave Ino a tight hug.

"I am glad that you two are trying to figure out everything," said Sakura.

"I am, too," replied Ino.

* * *

Sasuke heard a knock from the front door. The Uchiha got up from the couch and stretched before he walked to the door and opened it. Sasuke was half expecting Naruto to be there, ready to train. What surprised Sasuke was seeing Kakashi and the Toad Sannin there instead.

"Morning, Sasuke," said Kakashi, holding up his hand, "I am surprised that you are home instead of training. I am glad I didn't go to the training grounds after all."

"Kakashi, Jiraiya," said Sasuke, "What are you doing here?"

"I am searching for something, Uchiha," Jiraiya answered, "I figured you may be able to help me out."

"With what?"

"I need to know the secrets of the Uchiha clan," said Jiraiya. Sasuke looked at the older shinobi, his eyes narrowed.

"The secrets of the Uchiha clan?" Sasuke asked, "Why do you need to know?"

"Just as a follow up to something I heard on my travels," replied Jiraiya, "Nothing too major."

Kakashi noticed that Sasuke did not seemed too convinced with the explanation that Jiraiya was giving him. Sasuke thought about what Jiraiya had said.

"There is a mural in the Uchiha hideout," said Sasuke, "It may be able to tell you what you need to know, Jiraiya. The only thing is that you need to have someone with a Sharingan to go with you."

"That is why I have Kakashi," grinned Jiraiya, slapping Kakashi on the back.

"I think it would be best that I go with you. Kakashi's Sharingan is a transplanted one. I don't know if it will work as well as mine."

"Very well, Uchiha," said the Sannin, "Lead the way."


	22. Chapter 21

A/N: Characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto and not me.

A/N #2: It has almost been three months since I updated this story. I am sorry to not have updated in so long, but life got in the way. I worked for ten weeks this school year before I got booted out by some girl that was not completed with her student teaching yet (only because she had a math credential and I didn't). Needless to say, I am beginning a new job in the private education sector soon! Good vibes would be awesome! Love to all of you that continued to follow this story! You guys rock!

* * *

**Chapter 21**

Sasuke lit a torch and led Kakashi and Jiraiya down a darkened corridor.

"This place has been untouched since before the massacre. I haven't been down here since the day they found Shisui's body," said Sasuke, "Everything should still be in the place it was last left."

The three shinobi continued down the corridor until they reached a heavy wooden door with no sign of a lock or knob on it.

"Kakashi, see if you can open the door with your Sharingan," said Sasuke, turning toward his former sensei. The silver-haired jounin lifted up his forehead protector and looked at the door. In the center of the door was a slightly dented dip with a carved version of the Sharingan.

"Activate your Sharingan and look at that part," Sasuke said, pointing at the dip in the doorway. Kakashi did as he was told, yet nothing happened.

"Just as I suspected," said Sasuke, looking at Jiraiya, "Even though Kakashi has the Sharingan, he can't activate the doorway."

"Kekkei genkai?" asked Jiraiya.

"Has to be," answered the Uchiha. The silver-haired jounin and the Toad Sannin watched as Sasuke activated his Sharingan. He looked at the same carving as Kakashi. The door slowly moved, allowing the three shinobi entrance into the vast and empty meeting hall before them. Sasuke led the other two men toward the mural on the wall directly across from the doorway.

"I do not know much about the Sharingan other than what Father told when I was younger. He once stated that for one to fully understand it, they first needed to look at the mural after the first time that the Sharingan is activated. The mural according to him shows the entire history of our clan's technique."

Jiraiya walked past Sasuke and examined the mural. In it was the entire story of the formation of the Uchiha clan starting with the days before Konoha was founded. Jiraiya pointed to a large painted figure, a dark-haired man holding a fan of sorts.

"That is Madara Uchiha," said Jiraiya, "He helped found Konoha with the First Hokage. Kakashi walked past Sasuke and looked at the mural. One part, in particular, grabbed the jounin's attention. It was an image of two shinobi. One of the shinobi was an Uchiha clan member, marked with the traditional fan symbol of the clan. Beside the Uchiha member was another shinobi, one with reddish-orange surrounding him. The symbol above the image was very familiar to both Kakashi and Jiraiya.

"That's the symbol of the Uzumaki clan," said Kakashi, pointing to the image.

"That must be one of the Jinchuuriki from the Uzumaki clan," said Jiraiya, "For as long as I have known, no one but a member of the Uzumaki clan has been a container for the Kyuubi. The clan was well known for their specialized sealing jutsu, which kept the Kyuubi in its host until death or transfer. The only person that I can think of that perfected those jutsu outside the clan was Minato and he ended up marrying Kushina, a member of the Uzumaki clan."

"Look at the eyes," said Kakashi, pointing at the image of the Uchiha clan member. Jiraiya looked closely at the painting.

"What is that?" asked Jiraiya.

"That is the Mangekyo Sharingan."

Kakashi's eyes widened, instantly recognizing the voice. Both he, Jiraiya, and Sasuke turned around to find none other than the infamous Itachi Uchiha standing at the doorway.

"Sasuke!"

"Naruto?" whispered Sasuke. Kisame stood next to Itachi, a death grip on Naruto's upper arm.

"Look who we found on our way here," smirked the blue, shark-like missing-nin. Sasuke pushed up his sleeve but was stopped by Kakashi's hand on his shoulder.

"What is the Mangekyo Sharingan, Itachi?" Kakashi asked, "I have never heard of it."

"It is the ultimate form of the Sharingan, Kakashi," replied Itachi, "Legend state that only one person has ever achieved it. That person was Madara Uchiha."

Kisame smirked once more, tightening his grip on Naruto's arm.

"Legend also states that in order to achieve the Mangekyo Sharingan, one must murder the one closest to them in cold blood, whether a brother or a lover."

Itachi looked at Kisame, who took it as his cue to release Naruto. The shark-like shinobi threw Naruto hard across the floor. Kakashi let go of Sasuke, who ran to Naruto's side. Sasuke helped the Jinchuuriki to his feet.

"I am mildly surprised that you have found this place after all these years, Sasuke," continued Itachi.

"What are you doing here, Itachi?" Sasuke asked, retaining his grip on Naruto.

"Simple to deliver a message, younger brother." The older Uchiha disappeared and quickly reappeared in front of Sasuke and Naruto.

"You are still weak, Sasuke," whispered Itachi, "You need to get stronger. He is coming after the Kyuubi."

"He? Who is he?"

"In order to defeat him, you need to possess the Mangekyo Sharingan if you wish to stand a chance in protecting those you love."

_Protecting those you love? The Kyuubi? Naruto? _

"How do I obtain the Mangekyo Sharingan?" asked Sasuke.

"There are several ways. Choose wisely."

Itachi and Kisame disappeared suddenly in puffs of smoke. Sasuke kneeled down to the floor with Naruto, who was bruised from his run-in with Kisame.

"Shadow clones," Kakashi said, "Itachi knows better than to set foot in the village." While Sasuke cared for Naruto, the jounin and Jiraiya turned back to the mural. That was when Kakashi noticed a change in a particular portion of the mural.

"Look at this," said Kakashi. The former ANBU shinobi pointed to a faint red line connecting the Uchiha image to the Uzumaki Jinchuuriki.

_There are several ways. Choose wisely. _

"Sasuke can obtain the Mangekyo Sharingan in several ways, Jiraiya," said Kakashi, "but Itachi seemed to mention only two. Either by the death of a brother."

Kakashi pointed to the mural, specifically the image of the two figures connected by the red line.

"Or the death of a lover."

"Their fates were connected before their birth," said Jiraiya, "It could mean many things."

"Regardless of their fate, I cannot see Sasuke killing Naruto unless the Kyuubi is being compromised," whispered Kakashi, "The only option for Sasuke is to kill Itachi. Itachi is a strong shinobi though. It would be a difficult battle for Sasuke at his current state."

"I don't know if it is just me, but something does not seem right about this entire scenario, Kakashi."

Kakashi glanced over at the older man.

"Naruto was there the whole time," continued Jiraiya, "They could have taken him but they didn't"

Kakashi thought, _it is strange._

Jiraiya turned back to look at Sasuke and Naruto. The two younger shinobi were talking quietly between themselves.

"Their fates were sealed when Konoha was founded, Kakashi. Think you can train them quickly before a war breaks out?"

"Do you think it has already come to that?" asked Kakashi. Jiraiya nodded.

"Sadly, yes, Kakashi."


	23. Timestamp: Five Years Earlier

**Timestamp: Five Years Earlier**

* * *

A/N: Characters do not belong to me

* * *

"Vitals are quickly dropping!" shouted Sakura as she rushed into the emergency sector of the hospital. The young pink-haired medic rushed toward the source of the shrill monitor alarms. Two other medic-nin were present next to the patient, both trying their best to keep said patient alive until Sakura could join them.

Once Sakura arrived to the patient, she took over.

"Haruka-san! Get a ventilator on him!" shouted Sakura, turning to a dark-hair young medic. The female medic rushed to get a ventilator mask for Sakura. The pink-haired kunoichi turned to another female medic, a redhead.

"Midori-san! I need as much chakra as you can use to help me! His blood pressure is dropping because of the blood loss."

Midori nodded, placing her hands beside Sakura's on the patient's chest. Together, the two kunoichi released steady amounts of chakra into the patient. When Haruka returned, she placed the ventilator mask onto the patient's face. The sounds of the monitors continued to emit a shrill sound as the patient's vitals continued to drop.

The patient was on the verge of death when a group of ANBU Black Ops shinobi arrived to the hospital, a gashing wound in the middle of his abdomen. The patient had also suffered from several broken bones and another gaping wound in his upper right shoulder.

"They are dropping quickly, Sakura-san!" Haruka whispered just enough for Sakura to hear her, despite the noise occurring in the room. Sakura and the other medic-nin continued to release chakra in hopes that the patient would survive his ordeal with whoever he encountered. The next three minutes moved slowly through Sakura's mind until she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. She snapped from her thoughts, hearing the steady buzz of a monitor. That steady buzz only meant one thing to Sakura.

"There was nothing else you could have done for him, Sakura," the voice of the Hokage spoke, "He's gone."

Sakura continued to look at the lifeless body on the gurney, a ventilator mask remaining on his face. Midori was on her knees beside the gurney, gasping from precious air, Haruka rubbing her back. Both women were crying, having known the young shinobi since their days at the academy. Sakura lowered her head in silent prayer, sending thoughts for a safe journey to the other side for the young shinobi.

After a moment of silence, Sakura turned her back to the deceased and faced the Hokage.

"What happened?" asked Sakura, "Where's Naruto?"

"Sakura, we do not know," replied Tsunade, "Konohamaru was the only one they found. He would have already been dead if one of the ANBU was not a trained medic. You did what you could do. It is out of our hands now."

Sakura felt a trickle run down her cheek. Her childhood teammate was missing and the boy that looked up to Naruto was now dead. The medic-nin balled her fist into a tight ball then relaxed it. It was a senseless death in Sakura's eyes. Konohamaru had a bright future ahead of him. Whoever took the young man's life would surely pay the price for it if Sakura ever found out.

That was a promise she would take to the grave if necessary.


End file.
